Tankside December 2015 Edition

•DON QUIXOTE & THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES: PART DEUX

No Child Deserves to Live in Fear

12/2015

INSIDE: • CASCADE LOOP, PART 2 • SAFETY CORNER: WIND & RAIN • LOVE TO RIDE, BORN TO QUILT • JEEP PATRIOT: RESISTANCE AT ALL COST, AND MUCH MORE!

IMAGE BY MELANIE DAVIS

VOLUME ONE No. 8

2 | December 2015

TANKSIDE.COM

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STAFF MELANIE DAVIS Owner/Publisher melanie@brilliantmedia.company

GABRIELA KANDZIORA Business Development Gabriela@BrilliantMedia.Company Cell # 503-481-9870

CHRIS ALVAREZ Production Manager

SALES LARRY LEWIS Sales Representative

larry@brilliantmedia.company

LYNDA WILKINSON Sales Representative

lynda@brilliantmedia.company

TEAM MARY DAVIS Den Mom & S.A.G. Vehicle

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Lady Fred Roger Rivero Christina Small Dave Engstrom Mary Smith Engstrom Alberto Moreno Jose Troncoso Curt Erikson Nancy Jette Gabriela Kandziora Sam Smith Mandi Ballard Missy Minty Debi Wilson Steven Glickman Tony Mazelin Hohenzollern Maureen Bowman Jesse Taylor Linda Landeis David Letitia Mack Judy LaParne Tom Nielsen Wolfgang von Hohenzollern John Cloutier

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

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Happy holidays from your friends at Tankside, RIDE safe!

4

FEATURE: INTERNATIONAL MOTORCYCLE SHOW

12

5

DON QUIXOTE & THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES: PART DEUX

14

SAFETY CORNER: WIND & RAIN

7

IT’S A GROOVY RIDE WITH LADY FRED: 55TH BDAY ADVENTURE

15

GULA MATARI: CASCADE LOOP, PART 2

8

FEATURE: THE THIRD ANNUAL RALLY IN THE VALLY RECAP

INDEX

BUSINESS PROFILE: LOVE TO RIDE, BORN TO QUILT

FEATURE: B.A.C.A. “BREAK THE CHAINS OF ABUSE”

10

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TWISTED BLESSING FOR MOTORCYCLISTS IN THE CAGE: JEEP PATRIOT: RESISTANCE AT ALL COST

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December 2015 | 3

Feature

THE THIRD ANNUAL RALLY IN THE VALLY RECAP

By Mandi Ballard, Tankside

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hat had 429 bikes, 28 volunteers, 2 bands, 35 vendors and a Poker run…The Third Annual Rally in the Vally!

Hundreds lined up from 7 – 9 am at Paradise Harley to register and pick up the Poker Run Packets for the Rally in the Valley. Our volunteered registration team did excellently and even stayed open a bit longer to accommodate more riders. The Poker Run took you from Paradise Harley to Salem Harley where volunteers greeted you to pull a card from your hand. I hear many stayed at Salem Harley to look around at their offerings. Salem Harley lead you to Powers Yamaha in Sublimity; from there a ride to Dallas to Tony’s Bar where the City Mayor deemed Tony’s as the Biker Bar of the City. Tony’s has 2 Bike nights a year where the street is closed down for festivities for bikers. Tony’s took you to the final stop at Spirit Mountain Casino where you were greeted with Rock music in the morning/ early afternoon and in the late afternoon/early evening country and many vendors ranging from Love’s Leathers, Younique, Happy Hour Mixes, Schaeffer Oil for bikes and food and beverage vendors.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Immigration Counseling Service (ICS) is a not-for-profit immigration law firm that has been serving Oregon’s and Southwestern Washington’s immigrant communities for more than 37 years now. We want more diversity on our volunteer Board of Directors and we’re looking for a few talented and community-minded individuals to help lead and strengthen our programs.

ICS HAS THREE MAJOR PROGRAMS: •Anti-Traf ficking Comprehensive Services - ICS, provides social service advocacy, came management and referral services to foreign-born trafficking survivors.

•Children - ICS provides immigration legal services for children that are unaccompanied, undocumented and detained in secure, staffsecure, shelter and foster care facilities here in Portland. The children range from infants through 17 years old. ICS also provides free consultations to undocumented children, released to a sponsor in Oregon yet still in removal proceedings but have no funding to secure the services of a private attorney.

4 | December 2015

•Legal Services – Quality immigration legal services ranging from one-onone consultations to representation for Deferred Action, Deportation Defense, Family Unification, Protection from Persecution, U and T visas for victims of serious crimes and assistance for Victims of Domestic Violence.

At Spirit Mountain, you were able to enjoy their Lunch Buffet or the vendors that were serving up tacos or burgers.

We were able to give the participants a fantastic Lunch Buffet experience by having a separate entrance with very little wait time.

There may have been smoke in the air, but it didn’t stop people dancing to the music, relaxing under the tent with a beer from Rusty Truck and enjoying the vendors.

Our participants had a chance to win prizes….Free Oil Change from Schaffer Oil, Cigars from NW Cigars, Gift Cards from the vendors, Handcrafted Bracelet from Gary Utx, $25.00 gift cards from Salem Harley, Son’s of Anarchy Swag Bags, Sturgis memorabilia, and MUCH MORE! We gave a $300 gift card to Paradise Harley for the Poker High Hand and Low Hand and the Chapter Challenge. 50/50 drawing was truly spectacular with having so many participating we had to split the pot up. The Poker High Hand was a Full House while the Low Hand was 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7. Chapter Challenge win went to Salem Chapter; where they represented 5 other groups that joined us this year.

Looking forward to seeing all of you next year!

SOLD

Gabriela Kandziora Real Estate Broker

“Results that move you!”

MAY I HELP YOU WITH YOUR REAL ESTATE DREAMS?

If you are willing to contribute your time and input one evening a month and are interested in exploring this opportunity, please call Barb Babcock, Executive Director of ICS at (971) 302-6768.

For more information on ICS, visit www.ics-law.org or www.facebook.com/ immigrationcounselingservice

Gabriela@RealtorGabriela.com • 503-481-9870

5000 Meadows Suite 150 Portland, OR 97035 TANKSIDE.COM

Business Profile

LOVE TO RIDE, BORN TO QUILT

By Gabriela Kandziora, Tankside

I

have experienced Blonde Biker Quilts first hand! I purchased two beautiful baby quilts for two of my clients who just had babies! They were excellent gifts. My clients loved them and Carol even put a personalized Realtor Gabriela Logo (www.RealtorGabriela.com) on the quilt! No question gave that quilt to my client. Carol Stec, the artist, and quilter behind Blonde Biker Quilts has been crafting and creating quilts since 1991.

Carol has crafted over 1000 quilts in her career. I asked our Blonde Biker Quilter, which quilt was her favorite? She told me: “I made my daughter her first quilt and it was called ‘The Milky Way Star’ quilt. My daughter still has it.” Back in 2000, Carol started “Monday Night Quilting” and began teaching Football Widows the art of quilting. Starting in her neighborhood with other wives, the popularity of this hobby and night exploded! Carol taking advantage of the momentum decided to expand to the Hillsboro Park and Recreation teaching classes on quilting. These classes on quilting became super popular and sold out.

There is not a quilt that Carol cannot create. Football team or other sports team quilts, “Dr. Who” Quilts, baby quilts, T-shirt quilts, whatever your heart desires. Blonde Biker Quilts come with a cozy fleece backing and are 100% washable. The average quilt is a “Throw Quilt” measuring 60” X 72”. Many of us have ordered the adored and popular motorcycle T-shirt Quilt from Blonde Biker Quilts. This is one of the best things to do with your old T-shirts that don’t fit anymore or if you have too many of them. The Blonde Biker Quilt of your motorcycle T-shirts will immortalize them for you and allow you to see them more often since you will be using the throw quilt and it display the T-shirts versus having them sit in a closet.

Quilts make great gifts, as they are a unique keepsake—each one different in stitching from the next, affordable, hold memories close, are practical, and can be handed down through generations. Quilts can be used to cover bikes in your garage (for that really spoiled bike!), for your TV time, for Baby gifts, for you RV, or anywhere you would like to “throw” a little warmth on someone. If you have a friend having a baby soon or need a personalized gift, please visit www.BlondeBikerQuilts.com to learn more about Carol Stec and her fantastic art of quilting. “Like” on Facebook at www.facebook. com/Blondebikerquilts Contact Carol at BlondeBikerQuilts@ Gmail.com or text/call at 503-706-7262 TANKSIDE.COM

December 2015 | 5

Dykes On Bikes®

Portland Chapter fundraiser Brought to you by: PQ Monthly, El Hispanic News, and Tankside

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TANKSIDE.COM

Safety Corner

WIND AND RAIN

By Steven Glickman, Tankside

www.norcalpgr.org, you’ll see that the temperatures you’ll experience will quickly drop and the effects are dramatic. If you’re riding at 60 MPH on a “ f the rain comes, they run and hide their heads, they might as well be 40º F day, the temperature will effectively be 25º F, well below freezing. This dead if the rain comes, if the rain comes,” sang John Lennon and The type of exposure can cause damage to your skin. It steals all your body heat.

Beatles in 1966. While generally true for people, this can especially It feels horrible. The cold can completely take your mind off riding. It’s not be true for bikers. So, as the weather in the Northwest has safe and it’s not fun. changed for fall, and as it turns into winter, many riders put “THE SECOND THING With proper boots, gloves, helmet, jacket, and pants, their motorcycles away until the weather gets more favor- IS TO HAVE AN OUTER you’re set to stay dry and warm except for one thing. Your able in the spring. I understand. The one-two punches of neck. You’ve got to cover your neck. You have to cover it LAYER THAT IS rain and wind chill can discourage a lot of riders. But it WATERPROOF. YOU’LL with something that’s sure to keep it warm. You could use doesn’t have to be this way. a good scarf. Just make sure to secure it. I personally wear a HAVE TO DITCH If you’re prepared, you can overcome the challenge of balaclava (or ski mask). It fits snugly under my helmet and YOUR LEATHERS IF wet weather and cold. Luckily, the safest strategy for riding tucks into my jacket. It provides extra warmth around my THAT’S WHAT YOU attire, known by the acronym ATGATT (all the gear, all the head and keeps the wind from reaching my neck. The difUSUALLY WEAR, AND time), is also the best strategy for staying comfortable, ference is profound. If the temperature drops below 50º, I PUT ON SYNTHETIC warm, and dry. Dressing in the safest manner is also dresswon’t ride without it. ing for the most comfortable ride in bad weather.

CLOTHING WITH Now that your body is protected from rain and the wind A typical Northwest strategy for dressing is perfect for SLICK MODERN and you’re dressed for colder weather, you can comfortably riding this time of year. That means you’ll need to dress TECHNOLOGIES LIKE sit on the back of your bike for hours. There’s one more thing in layers. The Second thing is to have an outer layer that is that can make the difference between feeling safe to ride or GORE-TEX.” waterproof. You’ll have to ditch your leathers if that’s what not and that is visibility when it’s raining. Rain and spray you normally wear, and put on synthetic clothing with slick from other vehicles on the road can leave you almost entirely blind. The modern technologies like Gore-Tex. You might not need to wear different solution is simple. A finger wiper. With a wiper over your thumb or pointer boots, but you’ll likely need different gloves – waterproof – and you’ll prob- finger on your left hand, you can quickly and easily clear your face shield. ably want to switch to a full face helmet if you don’t already wear one.

When passing a semi, for example, you can ride past and remove the mist In the summer, you want airflow and to feel the wind. In the cold and wet that would otherwise obscure your view and safely be on your way. weather, you don’t want the water or cold air to reach your skin. If you get If you adequately prepare for the wind and rain of the colder months, wet, you’re going to start feeling uncomfortable fast and it’s going to distract you’ll be amazed how comfortable you’ll be. The best part is you’ll be able you, a major threat to your safety. Even worse is the cold air rushing past to keep riding. You’ll continue to enjoy your ride and the scenery. Rememyou as you ride? If you look at a wind chill chart (The best and most com- ber, we don’t ride motorcycles to be safe, we ride safely so we can keep riding prehensive wind chill chart I found for motorcyclists can be found online at our motorcycles.

I

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December 2015 | 7

Gula Matari

CASCADE LOOP, PART 2

By Indian Minty, Tankside

H

appy holidays to all “GULA MATARI’S” from Indian Minty and Great White!

We are still hoping for peace on earth. We can collectively push that forward.

As I write, the world is reeling from the latest attack on the people of the world in Paris. It is an attack on all of us. I will avoid my toothy diatribe on this as the heart wrenching is universal and worldwide.

So here is Minty’s offering and my promise. As a rider, we have many opportunities to have conversations everywhere we go. Bikes are a curiosity and passion. Anytime and anywhere, be it at a stop light or a parking lot, name a place and pick a spot, comments, and questions are always present, and conversation with strangers is always easy and often. YOU all know what I’m saying…just sayin’.

What a great way to share our commonalities. Random open conversation is my goal. I do not care what the color, the gender, the politics or affiliation. I don’t. I care about the content of character, and I am doubling down on an open heart, an open mind and early and often pay it forward kindness. You are either living the dream or still dreaming of it. All riders are living the dream. Represent it well. It matters.

Nuff said.

“Get your motor running…head out on the highway….lookin’ for adventure…in whatever comes my way”…..

So mis amigas y amigos we continue running the Cascade Loop, Part 2 from November’s issue. Picking up from Winthrop and heading west across SR20. State Route 20….The historic North Cascades Highway! (Editor’s Note: SR20 is currently closed for the winter).

Winthrop. Stay and hang if you can. It is a western themed step back in time that is engaging and contemporary at the same time. Options abound for accommodations, great food, great drinks, music, and 8 | December 2015

adventures….great camping if you choose. Check out Lake Pearrygin for camping. Crazy cool place. Do your homework on this little town.

Attend the world famous Winthrop Blues Festival, make it part of your journey. It is always in mid-July. Make your lodging or camping plans early. It is famous and, therefore, fills up. Lots of camping on site, and lots of motorcycles.

They hold ticket sales to about 3,000. The lineup of performers is always world class. So it is a “little big town” for a few days. The “Blues Ranch” property is well done and right on the Methow River. Bring river sitting chairs, (I know that’s tricky on bikes…buy a couple in town and donate them) it is hot and fun to sit in the river and listen to the sounds of the bands playing. Washington is legal for that crazy green stuff, and it does waft through the air. Enhancing the atmosphere 8-11 times?

They have a very informative website. Check it out www. winthropbluesfestival.com it’s likely to inspire a ride.

Onward and upward toward Washington and Rainy Pass. Leaving Winthrop and the last of the Methow Valley in the mirrors is quite a sight. The valley is beautiful, and the road is a fantastic ride. About 15 miles out of Winthrop, heading west, you will hit the last city before heading up into the mountains. Mazama. Mazama is a cool community. Proud of being organic, green and artsy…it is. Making it a great stop, just off the highway and worth a visit.

Food, grocery store, fuel, local art….last chance for a while…..if you are low on juice…GO in!

Now you start climbing. It is dramatic and a great road to ride. Tall mountain peaks and rugged vistas will surround you.

The mountain peaks are high, ranging from eight to nine thousand feet. The first pass heading west is Washington Pass at 5,477 feet. Stop at the visitor’s center, take the walk and your camera out to CASCADE LOOP, PART 2 | Continues to page 9

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Gula Matari

|ONWARD AND UPWARD

the overlook. The center is very well done and informative. Not to mention restroom TOWARD WASHINGTON facilities, another good reason to stop. The pass is Rainy Pass. It is 4,875 feet.

AND RAINY PASS. LEAVING next Aptly named, it has its weather pattern. I WINTHROP AND THE LAST will say we have never hit the rain there, but it is often very windy. So take it easy OF THE METHOW VALLEY and enjoy the eye candy of it all. CatheIN THE MIRRORS IS QUITE dral Rock is iconic. It is a 6,724 mountain peak. It ranks as the 546th highest mounA SIGHT. THE VALLEY IS tain in Washington.

BEAUTIFUL, AND THE ROAD The one really great thing about riding the loop is there is no shortage of places IS A FANTASTIC RIDE. to pull over and gawk. There are several Continued from page 8 turnouts to see Cathedral and many other peaks for pictures and shaking that road weary booty. There can be a little gravel but mostly not, so staying diligent is captain obvious.

SR20 winds its way down toward the Ross Lake National Recreation area.

DO NOT tuck your camera away. The glacial jade green waters will blow your mind. This area has an interesting history. There are three dams that form the Ross Lake Recreational Area.

Owned by Seattle City Light, Ross Dam construction started in 1937 and in 1949 the third and last stage was completed on the upper Skagit River. The Skagit, whose origins are glacial, backed up and formed the Ross Lake reservoir. Ross Lake extends up into British Columbia about 20 miles. It has a story of its own. Next in the capture of the Skagit is Diablo Dam. It formed Diablo Lake reservoir and then down the river is the Gorge Dam and Gorge Lake. The town of Newhalem holds the Gorge Powerhouse. That generates a significant portion of the electricity for Seattle and surrounding areas.

Newhalem is a lively town, but the history and their visitor’s center is very cool. There are also a couple different companies that do boat tours on both Diablo Lake and Ross Lake, and it is worth it. Skagit Boat Tours and Diablo Lake Boat Tours. The Newhalem Walking Tour looks cool. Next time we go through, we might take the time.

Moving on down the road, you wind down toward Marblemount.

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Marblemount has some iconic little savory restaurants and a few great places to stay. Trip Advisor has good info and details of that town. If you blink, you’ll ride past. After Marblemount, you will come across Cascadian Organic Farms. Likely you have seen their products in most stores.

Stop there and have one of their milkshakes or a great coffee and relax.

You can visit the farm…walk around. It is spectacular. Their very cool roadside stand opens in May and closes at the end of October. A beautiful time to still ride.

Next, heading west, comes Rockport and this is where we always head south. On towards Darrington to SR530 onto Interstate 5. If you head towards Rockport, you will ride through the Sauk-Suittle Indian reservation. This road is one of my favorite rides. Along the river and a dense, colorful old growth forest. SR20, if you stay on it, will take you through some fantastic little towns and all the way to Anacortes.

Anacortes is an old seaport town with a very long extensive history. It is also the gateway to the Washington State Ferry’s and the San Juan Islands, which is a fantastic ride. Motorcycles run up to the head of the dock and load first, so the ferry traffic is never a problem. That is a big deal as they are BUSY, and the wait can be hours! If you can, buy your tickets online and bypass the ticket booth stop. You do have to have a printed copy and the tickets are good for 90 days. So if you plan to do this, print at home before you leave.

You can even catch a ferry up into British Columbia and if you have the time... do it!

Anacortes is also the host of the Oyster Run every September. Billed as the largest motorcycle rally in the northwest. It is a “mini” Sturgis to coin a phrase.

Thousands of bikes. The town is a perfect venue for this huge influx and the whole of downtown, on the main drag, is a sight to behold. Great bars.

Great food…great shopping. In 2016, the date is September 25th. Always the last Sunday in September.

Ok - That’s Minty’s story, and she’s stickin’ to it. The iconic LOOP de LOOP. Take 4 or 5 days minimum and stop. Smell the coffee. Tons of great information is available via websites, so dig in and roll on.

Peace out, Indian Minty

December 2015 | 9

Feature

Business Profile

B.A.C.A. “BREAK THE

By Gabriela Kandziora, Tankside

A

FOR ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES CONTACT LARRY LEWIS

503.228.3139

LYNDA WILKINSON

TANKSIDE.COM

10 | December 2015

s Bikers, we present a persona to the world. A persona of being tough, not afraid to stand up for what we believe in, and of not being apologetic for speaking our mind. We are not known for backing down or turning away in fear. In fact, we are known for moving forward toward danger, when others may run away. Bikers stand up for the underdog and for those less fortunate. And, Bikers are known for a Brother/Sisterhood that has a fierce loyalty to each other and to those they vow to protect or call family.

So it is not surprising that Bikers have created, manage, and continue to be involved in the world’s largest biker group supporting children who have been abused. Of course, I am talking about B.A.C.A., “Bikers Against Child Abuse”. The surprising effect this group has on the lives of abused children is absolutely heartwarming. B.A.C.A. is an organization that is dear to the heart of Melanie Davis, the Publisher/ Owner of Tankside. Tankside has formed a partnership with B.A.C.A. dedicated to helping spread the mission of B.A.C.A., help collect donations via the Tankside website, and to support B.A.C.A. whenever possible.

B.A.C.A. International has chapters all over the world.

Such countries as Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany, where there are five chapters. In fact, by this time next year, B.A.C.A. will be in all 50 states and in over 30 countries! The mission, organization, and follow-through of this organization is helping grow B.A.C.A. quickly on a global level. The Brother/Sisterhood that motorcycling provides is an incredible platform for B.A.C.A. to thrive on. Each state in our country has at least one chapter or a chapter that is currently forming. Tankside took some time to talk with the Blue Mountain B.A.C.A. Chapter.

Tankside had the chance to speak with the Oregon State President, BlackJack, the Oregon State Public Relations Officer, Toad, Patched Members Dog and Butterfly. To really understand how powerful this group of Bikers is and to know where their hearts are, you need to read and let the B.A.C.A. Mission Statement really sink in.

The Mission of B.A.C.A. is quite direct: “Bikers Against Child Abuse (B.A.C.A.) exists with the intent to create a safer environment for abused children. We exist as a body of Bikers to empower children to not feel afraid of the world in which they live. We stand ready to lend support to our wounded friends by involving them with an established, united organization. We work in conjunction with local and state officials who are already in place to protect children. We desire to send a clear message to all involved with the abused child that this child

is part of our organization, to lend our physical and em affiliation, and our physica ready to shield these childr do not condone the use of v any manner, however, if circ we are the only obstacle prev abuse, we stand ready to be question that the Bikers Ag run away from danger, rath toward it to become that pro abused child. That dear Tan is an emotion that all of us sh For some reason those of us w to share a desire to stand for and stand in where others m Child abuse affects ever everyone, I mean our entire ally. If you are lucky enough to abuse as a child, you can be a majority of your friends ha at a table with 7 other wome them had either been sexuall abused by someone in their home with me that day just ho we know, it crosses all demog dren creates a dark chain of dy effects the lives of those abuse the victims. B.A.C.A. wants to It is a very noble and worthw BACA was founded by Jo is a Licensed Clinical Socia Therapist/Supervisor, and ta Brigham Young University f been in practice for over twe been spent in the treatmen became keenly aware that TANKSIDE.COM

Feature

YOUR BEAUTIFUL NEW HOME AWAITS YOU!

E CHAINS OF ABUSE”

to offer much in the way of helping children to heal, there were gaps that needed to be filled. These gaps were funding and protection from allowing access of the perpetrator to the abused child. Unfortunately, our system cannot afford to provide enough protection for these abused children. This is where the Bikers of B.A.C.A. fill the void. In addition to becoming a presence in the life of the children, B.A.C.A. also provides for the children by attending court proceedings and parole hearings with them. Escorting them to and from school or errands if necessary, and many other ways to ensure that the children are free from fear and can , and that we are prepared return to their previous level of adaptive functioning. motional support to them by When a large group of bikers rides to a child’s home to al presence. We stand at the support and honor that child, and the bikers tell that child ren from further abuse. We that he/she does not need to be afraid anymore because violence or physical force in the bikers are there and will be there under any circumcumstances arise such that stances, the children feel the security of the Brother/Sisventing a child from further terhood. Children understand that child abusers are cowe that obstacle.” There is no ards that prey on the helpless. After children have been gainst Child Abuse will not introduced into the B.A.C.A. family, they are not helpless or powerless anymore. her they move “THERE IS NO Chief, living in Utah and the Founder of otection for an QUESTION THAT B.A.C.A., having had kind and loving expenkside Reader riences with bikers in his youth was moved THE BIKERS hare as Bikers. to include an abused boy in his biker circle. who ride, seem AGAINST CHILD Within weeks, this boy was seen all over the underdog ABUSE WILL town riding his bike and playing with other might not.

NOT RUN AWAY children. It proved to Chief that the “protecyone. And by FROM DANGER, tion of his Biker community for this child, e society, globRATHER THEY made a world of difference to the child.” o not have had MOVE TOWARD IT And, this spurred the idea to rally the biker e assured that TO BECOME THAT community in defense and in support of ave. I once sat PROTECTION FOR children and was actualized in 1995 when en and ALL of ly or physically AN ABUSED CHILD.” the first ride was held to visit abused children and bring them into the biker familyr family. It hit that first ride had twenty-seven bikes presow prevalent abuse is. And, as graphics. Ill-treatment of chil- ent. And this is how B.A.C.A. was created.

To become a Patched Member of B.A.C.A. is pretty much ysfunction that carries on and the same as patching into most any MC, except that you ed and lives of those who love o “Break the Chains of Abuse”. have to be checked out at a Federal level and you have to go through some rigorous training. After all, you are while pursuit…and it works. ohn Paul “Chief” Lilly. Chief going to impact the life a little human who has seen more al Worker, a Registered Play than they should have at their young age. YOUR contact aught as Part-time faculty at with these kids WILL make a difference, so you need to be for seventeen years. He has prepared. There are workshops for B.A.C.A. Patches and enty years, most of which has Prospects to ensure that the Patch knows how to work nt of abused children. Chief with a child that has suffered sexual, emotional, and/or B.A.C.A. | Continues to page 13 while the system was able TANKSIDE.COM

$319,000 Oregon RMLS# 15305735 496 Arkansas, Vernonia, OR 97064 Gorgeous remodel! Spacious living located on the “Historic Walk of Vernonia” Only 30 minutes to Intel and 37 to Nike. Enjoy wholesome historic small-town living yet only 40 minutes to the heart of hip and swanky Portland. Large lot provides excellent garden space. 3-minute walk to park, fishing, shops, library, restaurants. 1-minute walk to the school and historic museum. Vernonia is a beloved stop for bicyclists who enjoy the fantastic treed bike trails and the festivals that happen on Bridge Street. “Stand By Me” and “Twilight” were filmed here. Deer/Elk visit this magnificent home. Full basement ADU or home office.

http://www.vernonia-or.gov/index.asp

• 3100 Sq Ft of very comfortable and spacious living • HUGE gourmet kitchen with Prep/Juice bar • Formal dining with original leaded glass built-in hutch • 5 Bedrooms—HUGE Master Suite • 3 Bathrooms—beautiful fixtures and finishes • Granite through out main and Master Suite with Diamond Cabinets • $2130 taxes • Built 1926 • RV or boat Parking • Finished Basement that can be rented out • Stainless /Gas appliances and heating • Original hardwoods; Large Porch; Deck • Wood-Burning Fireplace

Gabriela Kandziora - Real Estate Broker Call or Text 503-481-9870 • Gabriela@RealtorGabriela.com 5000 Meadows Suite 150, Lake Oswego, OR 97035 Office: 503-670-9000 December 2015 | 11

Feature

VINTAGE AND ANTIQUE MOTORCYCLES AT THE INTERNATIONAL MOTORCYCLE SHOW

NILS OLSON’S 1939 HARLEY-DAVIDSON EL 1000 CC

FRANK GRIMER’S 1969 KAWASAKI MACH III 500 CC

DOUG EARLE’S 1951 BSA B33 500 CC

TONY MIYAMOTO’S 1965 HONDA CB160 160 CC

NILS OLSON’S 1953 TRIUMPH 37 DELUXE 350 CC

JEFF EARLE’S 1967 WARDS RIVERSIDE 125 CC

By Tom Nielsen, Member OTC AMCA and OVM

T

he International Motorcycle show is held across the US and recently visited Portland on October 31st to November 2nd, 2015. Held at the Oregon Convention Center, the Portland show included motorcycle displays from all the major motorcycle manufacturers, all manner of rider gear and accessories, performance equipment, helmet art, custom bike builders, demonstration rides, stunt riding, sweepstakes, and vintage motorcycle displays.

The vintage show was put on by the Portland chapter of the Vintage Motorcycle Enthusiast (VME) Club and included bikes representative of many nations and ages. If you are interested in vintage motorcycles (those over 20

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years old) or antique motorcycles (over 30 years old), there are several clubs in the Portland Metro area.

You do not need to own an antique or vintage bike to be a member, just have an interest in these machines, and owners of all makes of motorcycle are welcome: Vintage Motorcycle Enthusiast, Portland chapter www.vmemc.org/contact/ contact.htm Oregon Vintage Motorcycle, www.oregonvintage.org/about.php Antique Motorcycle Club of America, Oregon Trail Chapter www.antiquemotorcycleoregon.com/about.html Tom Nielsen is a member of OTC AMCA and OVM, owner 1980 Harley-Davidson FLT, 2014 Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200C, and 2004 Triumph Bonneville.

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B.A.C.A. Continued from page 11

physical abuse. Workshops on various topics on how to relate to victimized children taught by professionals and seasoned B.A.C.A. Patches.

Some of the patches that a newly voted-in Patch can earn are as follows: The B.A.C.A. MC patch is the clenched fist with BACA and the crossbones on the knuckles. According to JP Lilly, the founder of BACA, and Christy Sparti, the BACA National Art Director and originator of the BACA patch, the following areas hold significance: Red represents the “blood shed by wounded children.”

White represents the “innocence of the children.”

Black represents the “dark times the child goes through.”

The fist represents “our commitment to stop child abuse.”

The skull and crossbones are the symbol of the “death to child abuse.”

The chains represent “our united organization.”

The State Patch, representing the state the Biker is patched in with Surgeon General Patch, warning people that it is detrimental to their health to mess with a B.A.C.A. protected child.

Keepers of the Children Patch, representing the mission of B.A.C.A. 100 Mile Ride Patch, representing a global ride that begins at noon, in whichever time zone the Chapter is in, on the third Saturday of May annually.

This ride is a fundraiser and designed to create awareness of B.A.C.A.’s mission and the organization. Connect with your local B.A.C.A. Chapter or check out the website to find out the starting point of your local 100 Mile Ride.

BlackJack, the President of all the Oregon Chapters, gives us his motivation for being and remaining involved.

“What keeps me doing this is seeing the kids come from being a hollow, empty shell of being themselves again and being children again,” BlackJack tells Tankside that there are two primaries assigned to each abused child.

This way the child always has someone that reaches out to them and that they can reach out to. These two main B.A.C.A. Patches always follow through with what they have told the child they will do. This is critical to creating trust TANKSIDE.COM

and a sense of security for the child.

These Primary Patches are available as a big Brother or Sister to the child and will support them all the way by showing up to court with the child, visiting the home, or just coming to spend time with the child and play in the park.

Toad, the Public Relations Officer for all the Oregon Chapters, shows Tankside a glass tear that he carries with him everywhere he goes. This represents the tears of wounded children. Toad tells Tankside: “We want to stop the tears of these children and give them the childhood they deserve. This is why I do this.”

Dog, a B.A.C.A. Patch says: “I am here to empower the children.”

Butterfly, another Patch tells Tankside “I am one of the first Patches here in the Blue Mountain Chapter. I started with B.A.C.A. in May 2011. We will do whatever the child needs from us.

We find and get donated to us little denim jackets and we cut the sleeves off, wash them so they have the frayed armholes, and put patches on these for the child. We also give the kid a road name and sew this patch on their cut.”

One of the patches that every B.A.C.A. child gets is a patch worn on the back of the cut: “I will not live in fear.” Butterfly tells us that once a child is part of the B.A.C.A. family, they are part of our family for life. In fact, the very first B.A.C.A. child that Chief brought in is now a full-fledged Patch in B.A.C.A. and gives back to the children.

The cycle of child abuse has been broken for many children because of B.A.C.A. Since B.A.C.A. is a 501c3, your donations are a total tax write-off. 100% of the donations to B.A.C.A. are used in the community in which they are donated. The country-wide chapters work together to help children, often flying patches into remote areas where there are no Chapters. As you can imagine, there are expenses for the Patches to be there for the kids. NO B.A.C.A. Patch ever gets paid for their time, however, since the Patches are volunteer, donations truly help to fund their efforts in protecting the children. If you would like to become involved with your local chapter of B.A.C.A., please go to this link: http://bacaworld.org/chapters/united-states/ Find your state and send an email in. If even just to connect with the Chapter to ride the 100 Mile Ride and/ or donate to their mission.

December 2015 | 13

Feature

DON QUIXOTE & THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES: PART DEUX

By Alberto Moreno, Tankside

T

he night electric announced the storm!

Which arrived as a downpour in Chicago and washed away the heat of the day.

We had worked on the bike my brothers and I. Preparing it for this mornings departure. There is still water on the streets from last night’s deluge.

Carlos joined us last minute for the trip. He, riding a Harley my brother a Valkrye and me on the Dover BMW. It took an hour to leave the traffic and industry of this vast city. With its refineries and garbage dumps. Even the river is an open sewer. A gangrenous artery whose waters are so filled with human excrement that the very river is now dead. Which is to say our presence has become so toxic that we have killed off all the fish upon it.

We eventually crossed the Kankakee River and I could again smell the sweet scent of reeds and prairie grasses. This gave way to a more open expanse with the river’s delta defending against the city’s encroachment.

We settled for a while into a staggered rhythm and left the city and its congestion behind.

Here now the Illiniwek prairies have been replaced with corn fields. Or maíz as our indigenous peoples had called this life-sustaining crop long before European immigrants had yet set foot upon our ancestral lands.

Valdo and Carlos have delivered me to Bloomington Illinois and from here I proceed alone. They will turn back and return to the remains of the day. And work, which always waits for us.

Today is a short riding day as I am using this opportunity to visit with Javier, an old friend who now works for the Archdiocese of St Louis. He and his lovely wife have been kind enough receive me on short notice.

On to open prairie and then to the ‘Gateway to the West.’

The morning was a blessing, come.

Javier and Tere greeted me this morning with a ready cup of coffee.

We talked about old times. About how we were young once. And beautiful. And how you waste beautiful because you are too young to know better. Back when we used to get together for tacos and vino.

Because that was how a Bolivian Doctor, an aspirant priest and a Mexican social worker did the holy sacrament.

14 | December 2015

Javier now heads Latino Outreach for the Archbishop of St. Louis. El Medico is still a Bolivian doctor working as a caseworker in Chicago. Me. Well, hard to say what’s become of me? I’m a little lost to be honest with you. Which is when I generally take to the road.

We’re all a little lost, I guess. I take some refuge in this.

There are times when you are on the road when you feel a little vulnerable.

When the road seems endless and the horizon uncertain. And you wake up doubting yourself and the road and the bike.

So after breakfast, I asked my friend Javier Orozco to bless me. Which he did. In his own way. And then he entrusted me to our brown god.

And you mount the bike and into the world you go. Unconvinced.

The first part of the day was good. The road begins to undulate now. Crossed the Missouri River and it was good to see it full and wide. Unfettered and silty from the recent rains. You forget that a river can be wild.

Can be un-damned and untamed. Can run free. Down it’s own delta. Making its own weather. Like a woman.

After Kansas City, the air cooled and you can smell the freshly tilled soil. And there is no better scent.

Reminded me of when we were in the old country and it was the sowing season. How Papa would be ahead of me with a wooden hand drawn plow driving the horses forward against the hard clay. How I would follow behind dropping a seed of corn every step. How I was 7 then. How all of this memory is in that fertile field on the side of the road.

It started to rain so I stopped to put on my leather pants and jacket. And then you plow face forward into the driving rain. Until you are soaked down to your shaking bones. Till you can see only ten feet of the road ahead and nothing more. And you look for a tree to lend you cover but forgo its shelter to drive another mile, another mile forward.

Then you get a break in the rain and you are dripping, dripping. And look up at the grey of the road which meets the grey of the sky with only you and the bike wedged in between.

Then you spot the Indian on the side of the road.

And you stop. And do not say or mutter anything to yourself or the metal Indian On his metal horse resting. Or waiting or both. On the horizon. And you do not know what to say. Except that this too is a sacrament, a blessing...

The day is a long thread Unraveling.

Began with the storm passing, leaving the morning wet and lush.

Everywhere water overflows its rivulets and streams remembered or forgotten still.

Water has a memory. Remembers its canyons great and small.

Even if we have paved over them. Plowed through and seeded there. Water, retains its old banks, its alluvial fans.

A storm crackling and breaking over these lands has left water standing on the side of the road. Old fields sated and full.

Morning cool gives over to clear skies and sun ahead. I can feel already the bike climbing as I approach Colorado. Colorado, which is so named for the Colorado or red of its soil.

It is big sky country here and the horizon is endless.

So that you’re riding through this expanse becomes a kind of zazen. A kind of sitting, riding meditation over an ever-changing landscape.

Suddenly a dusting plane zooms over me and traverses a sunflower field and the play of engines begins. The BMW motorcycle which I am riding began after BMW ended up with an excess of airplane engines after the war and nowhere to put them.

So they started putting them on motorcycles. And I am straddled, in its deconstructed form on a live airplane engine.

A hundred miles later I come across the Buffalo.

And cannot resist stopping and wonder in amazement at these beasts which are no more upon the open wild but are constrained instead.

The alpha bull starts snorting at me and when I refuse to leave paws and pounds at the ground before charging at me.

I take this as my invitation to leave and redress the Western road again.

A hundred miles or more from Denver, I pass a man walking on the side of the highway. Except that he is God walking. God walking backwards upon the open road.

I turn the bike around and head straight for him.

God unnamed. God without a nation walking backwards through this long wide country.

I stop ahead of him and wait for him to arrive. He is a slight sinewy man. You expect God to be bigger.

More diffuse. God, who speaks Japanese.

I greet him and we introduce each other. He is Machida and I am Alberto-san become. This is how God speaks. In reverent tones.

I ask God why he is walking backwards in this world. It is easier he says to push against the wind with your back then with your tender face.

He is walking from San Francisco to New York to protest the unfair imprisonment of Rev. Moon. And I don’t know about Rev. Moon and whether he is a holy DON QUIXOTE | Continues to page 17

TANKSIDE.COM

It’s a Groovy Ride with Lady Fred

55TH B-DAY ADVENTURE

By Lady Fred, Tankside

I

believe birthdays are important and should be celebrated. It’s the day you entered this great world we live in, your ‘birth’ day. No one can take that away from you; it’s ‘your’ special day. “My” special day is September 12th, I turned 55 this year and wanted to do it up big.

Since 2009, I treat myself to a Bday Adventure. I leave Labor Day weekend and return to MI by the end of October to beat the snow.

I’ve had that pleasure of celebrating my special day all over America.

This year I visited with friends in IN, KY, TN, AL and FL. My goal was to search for a winter home, spend my bday at Boogie Bottoms by the River Rally in Cleveland, AL and attend Bikeroberfest in Daytona Beach, FL. I swung through TN and picked up a friend and headed to Boogie Bottoms. We camped with the Motorcycle Family MC out of AL. The members I knew ended up not being able to make it, but I was still welcomed by those that were there. The rally was small compared to what I’m used to here in MI, but the southern hospitality and friendliness wasn’t small by any means. That is one of the things I love about the South; the people are so friendly.

I spent my bday exploring the area and was tickled when I found two Covered Bridges. Bonus, I was able to buy a piece of cake and ice cream too! Once back at the rally, I had fun dancing and partying the night way.

After the rally, I hooked up with some MFMC friends, and they showed me around their area in AL. High Falls Waterfalls in Oak Grove were some of the most beautiful waterfalls I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing. I visited Cathedral Caverns in Grant which bragged it was the largest opening of any paying entry cavern in the World. Guntersville Dam in Guntersville was HUGE! They had 12 doors to their dam, biggest I’ve ever seen with a beautiful park too.

My adventure took an unexpected, heartbreaking, abrupt turn and I had to fly home for a family emergency, as my brother, Brad, who I love dearly, had passed away unexpectantly at age 52. I’m grateful for the support of the MFMC. They made sure Lobo and Wyatt were safe while I was home. I decided to drive back down to AL as I was on a mission to find a winter residence, this way my car would be closer.

Happily reunited with Lobo and Wyatt, I traveled to TN for a short spell and helped a friend celebrate her bday. We went to one of my favorite towns in the area, Lynchburg. Discovered yet another Covered Bridge.

If you haven’t picked up on it yet, I love bridges and Covered Bridges are my favorite.

A quick visit with some Motor Maid Sisters in AL and then it was onto FL. I had a great time kayaking the Silver Springs River in Ocala, FL at Silver Springs State Park with my GF in her tandem kayak. We were treated to a rare sighting of the only existing wild Asian Monkey’s in America. I grew up cannoning but never tried kayaking; I loved it!

I learned of a town called Waldo and went in search of him. He wasn’t TANKSIDE.COM

anywhere to be found. I thought the town was missing out on a great marketing opportunity there.

I went to St. Augustine and enjoyed the oldest town in America, celebrating 450 years this year. I LOVE St. Augustine! It’s so beautiful and rich with history. Of course, I had to have a drink at the oldest bar in America, the Tropical Trade Winds Lounge. I love riding the East coast from St. Augustine to Daytona along A1A. I began my journey crossing the gorgeous bridge, the Bridge Of Lions. The bridge has been deemed the 4th out of the top 10 bridges in America, and rightly so, it is a work of art. It has two beautiful Lion sculptures on either side of one end, and the other end has a park with a couple more of them. I ride it both ways many times.

I was happy to be riding in typical weather for the Sunshine state during Bikertoberfest rather than the 30’s when I was there in 2009. Daytona was hopping, and I made the most out of the four-day rally. I wish it were longer as there is just to do much in such a short time. More on the rally next month. :) It was time to make my way home. I dropped Lobo and Wyatt off in AL and picked up my car. I continued to Maryville, TN to visit with friends and secure lodging for the winter. My friend took pity on me that I wasn’t on Lobo and let me take his bike for a ride. I LOVE Maryville. It is just so darn beautiful there. I enjoyed my time exploring the roads and dreamed of living there. I didn’t find a place in my budget but did receive a call that a place I had looked at in AL was mine. AL will be my winter home this year!

I was ‘inside’ a Corn Stalk Teepee! Never seen one before and was thrilled to be! The Teepee led to a Corn Maze that was kid friendly, and I had fun being a big kid. Afterward, we went to the “Fall Ball”, an outdoor costume Halloween party. They hold several parties a year on this property, which sits in a large field near a creek. They had a haunted hay wagon ride that was fun and a costume contest. Great turn out. Partied and danced the night away!

Continuing to Georgetown, KY, I stayed with another friend. I discovered the town had their annual street dance that a local dance troop sponsors. They shut the street down, and everyone dresses up like Zombies for their annual “Thriller Dance”. They invited the public to join them in the “Purple People Eater” song, of course, I did.

I headed for home from there and reflected on all the cool things I did; these are just the highlights. It was the first time I had returned in my car rather than with Lobo and Wyatt. Total miles on Lobo 3722, total miles in my car 1955.8, total miles on my 55th Bday Adventure 5677.8. Excited for what next year will bring!

December 2015 | 15

Earth, Wind & Tire

TWISTED BLESSING FOR MOTORCYCLISTS

By Tony Mazelin, Tankside

Sweepers and windmills stretch out before me. Highway 97 is a ribbon of a road that cuts through vineyard-laden hills and farms while Mt. Adams sits lookday of hooky, a day away from work, a day needed for the soul. The ing over it all. Just past Goldendale the road rises and climbs while Satus Creek sun rose like it did every day, but it was brighter that spring day, runs along the road feeding trees and sparse brush. Once in Yakima, I was ready as I was going riding -all day long. The route was an easy one to for fuel of my own, and to top off my tank. I found Miner’s Drive-In off of 1st St. navigate, Camas to Yakima then back to they have been slinging burgers, fries and home via the super-slab. 385 miles was shakes since 1948 and it hit the spot. the plan, and the course was set for the As I headed out of Yakima on Hwy next eight hours.

12W/97N, I watch the small towns disapI crossed Portland in the early mornpear and the farmlands grow, before they ing hours, to avoid the rush hour trafgave way to the forest. I turned off 97N and fic that begins before 7 AM. HWY 26E, stayed on 12W, avoiding State Route 410. I to I-5N, 84E, and then 205N into Washstarted following the Tieton River towards ington to State Route 14E. A route we all Mossyrock Washington. The nearly 90 know and loathe, but living here in the miles of this leg is a twisted blessing for center of paradise, we tolerate. motorcyclists. The one big surprise for me Once on WA-14 I was set to enjoy the was the tunnel and then incredible view ride. The two lane twisty road out of “I TURNED OFF at Rimrock. I was suddenly looking at the 97N AND STAYED town was just the start of the day. I left lake in the middle of the woods, directly ON 12W, AVOIDING Camas and immediately remembered after a long tunnel, be sure to watch where STATE ROUTE why I loved this route, why don’t I ride you are going or you could end up in Rimrock Lake.

410. I STARTED FOLLOWING this more was my only thought. I stopped at the Cape Horn OverSmall towns dot Hwy 12 from Rimrock Lake to Mossyrock. There THE TIETON look. It is narrow and it’s on a corner, so go in slow and pay attenare plenty of open roads that can easily be crossed by large animals, RIVER TOWARDS tion to the road before the view grabs your attention. Looking East like the Elk I saw right before Packwood, so use caution and good judgMOSSYROCK WASHINGTON. up the Columbia River Gorge you realize we are so small in the overment. There is a nice little, yet gravel covered, parking area just before THE NEARLY 90 all picture. The Ice Age melt-off left its mark on this area eons ago.

Mossyrock to view Riffe Lake for those that are willing to travel off the MILES OF THIS The road rises and falls, twists and turns mile after glorious mile. LEG IS A TWISTED pavement. From Mossyrock to the interstate is 20 miles of sweeping BLESSING FOR Pass the Bridge of the Gods and Bonneville Dam. A stop in White corners then straight a ways that prepared me for the 60-mile blast Salmon for gas and a stretch was mandatory. The local shops were MOTORCYCLISTS.” down I-5S. The saving grace on this stretch of the super slab is the just opening and the gas station wasn’t busy yet. The terrain begins 70 MPH posting. It gave me plenty of time to reflect on where I had to change in this part of the gorge; from the wet of Western Washington to the been and the sights, sounds and smells of the open road. dry of Eastern portion of the state. Nestled above the scenic Columbia River I felt good after a day in the saddle, rested and reinvigorated. My mind was is the Maryhill Stonehenge. This is a full-size astronomically-aligned replica of clear and calm as the lake, something I could draw on when back at work. As the Stonehenge in the UK. This memorial was completed in 1930 as a memo- I am sure my mind will wander down these roads more than once, hopefully, rial to the men and women of WWI. This was the first memorial for WWI vet- my body will as well. erans and was started while the war was still being fought by road builder Sam Hill. This is also where I turned off WA 14E and picked up US 97N. Download this route by going to www.Tankside.com

A

The Tankside DamTour

The Tankside

Dam Tour OOD PLACES TO RIDE 20 DAM G

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16 | December 2015

“20 Dam Good Places to Ride!”

If you have not done the DamTour yet, put it on your “dam to-do list” for 2016 and every year after that. Each year provides a fresh experience! The DamTour will get you out riding into unseen territory, challenging you to stretch your horizons and reach a new level of riding!

We are now accepting Pre-registration for the Tankside DamTour 2016 for $40.00 and it includes: • 20 Dam Good Places to Ride! Eight (8) Oregon DamTours, Eight (8) Washington DamTours, + 4 Bonus DamTours* • The Official Tankside DamTour 2016 Static Cling Decal • The Official Tankside DamTour 2016 Participation Patch

• The Official Tankside DamTour 2016 Placard with your unique identification number, with GPS coordinates for 8 Oregon, 8 Washington, and 4 Bonus Dams • One Official Tankside DamTour 2016 Oregon Pin** • One Official Tankside DamTour 2016 Washington Pin** One Official Tankside DamTour 2016 Trophy***

*All Tankside DamTours are self-guiding and at the rider’s own risk and expense. Buy registering the rider assumes responsibility for any liabilities. **The Official Tankside DamTour 2016 Oregon & Washington Pin(s) will be awarded at the Annual Tankside 2016 Tail Gunner to those paid participants who completed each Official Tankside DamTour in either, or both states and submitted photo verification by September 13, 2016. ***The Official Tankside DamTour 2016 trophy will be awarded at the Annual Tankside 2016 Tail Gunner to those paid participants who completed ALL of the Official Tankside DamTours and submitted photo verification by September 13, 2016 EMAIL PHOTO - In The Subject Line PLACARD ID#, & DAM: damtour@tankside.com. To register at www.DamTour.com or www.Tankside.com

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DON QUIXOTE Continued from page 14

man or not. Not for me to say. What I do know, is about Machida. I can attest to his faith, to the homily of 3500 miles walked. How every step is a prayer? This I know.

I say goodbye to him, to God, who is running late.

A dog day The day is a dog. Which goes into the wild of the morning. And brings you things. A rib clean and white. Of a wild thing no more. A lost ball. A stick. A dead bird. Wings folded and gathered. Folded and gathered.

All these are gifts of the day.

I am thinking about this because my house is on fire!

Some 1400 miles away. And there is nothing here I can do. Except take the bone, take the bone which the day brings. I make sure everyone is ok. And the wood.

Which burns. Which is no more will wait. Must wait.

A candle left unattended still burns. Still consumes. Has its own life. And so my house burns and this too is a gift. Like Mashida was a gift. Walking.

Walking 3500 miles or more. Or like the buffalo. Or the rain which soaks to the bone.

The day is a dog and it brings you gifts, wild and untamed, wild and untamed, from God. Rode through the Colorado Rockies yesterday.

Climbed up to 14,000 feet where the motorcycle had trouble breathing even with two iron lungs. The engine sounding lean as if it wasn’t getting enough air.

The temperature drops too at that altitude. The sky is a different shade of blue and there is nothing else to abridge your horizon.

For lunch, I drank in a herd of elk grazing in a mountain meadow. The crows up here are messengers of a different kind. They fly faster. Hang in the air like kites and the light they take is the light they keep. Speak less. The closer you are to God. The fire has been put out back in Portland. This, a different kind of practice. To know that this is happening but to not be able to do anything about it. Your house burning. And you on a motorcycle a thousand miles away in the cold of the mountain.

But it is not a tragedy. All of it is remediable. In contrast, I have seen two accidents on the road. Cars overturned in a ditch. Bodies waiting lifeless for a rescue which will not come. There is only extrication of bodies. Which wait. Mouth agape. Surprised that this happened. That this is how it went. How tender life leaves you...

And so by this measure I am grateful this morning in Vernal Utah.

The sky in the horizon looks brooding. Expectant.

Today there will be rain.

Adelante.

What Love Drives Love hurts. I should know. I’ve been in love twice and engaged once.

And then there was the time I was riding my motorcycle North on Halsted Avenue in Chicago. I minded my own business, when out of nowhere I see two cars, TANKSIDE.COM

large and heavy, coming my way. But it’s a divided street if you’ve ever been in this part of town. When Maxwell Street or La Garra was still on Maxwell Street.

The longest continuously operating open-air market in the US. Where on a given day you could buy Chairs stolen from the Archbishop of Chicago, illegal city plates renewal stickers, tamales and the best blues in Chicago.

Pero, this car is moving fast. Around fifty miles per hour in a thirty-mile zone. But I don’t worry about it.

Cause they are on the other side. So I approach the intersection and that’s when it happens. He makes a sudden left turn at around forty miles per hour and suddenly there is no place for me to go. He’s going to hit me. And it’s gonna hurt. A lot. I am not wearing a helmet. The best thing I can do is to lock up my arms in the hopes that doing so will launch me over his car, avoiding Detroit metal.

And the next thing I register is the grinding of metal against metal. Groaning and screeching as an unstoppable object meet an irresistible force. So I am flying over all of this swearing up a storm at the guy who hit me. And then I hit the cold hard Chicago cement.

Y se apagan las luces! The lights go out for a second or a minute. It’s hard to know when your operating system has been shut off.

Then I come to. Only to see God’s face looking down at me. And God is saying something except that I can’t make it out cause. Well, cause it’s God talking. And he’s black. God is black! Sure. Of course, I think. And then his words soak in. God is saying he’s sorry. Says he didn’t see me!

I avert my face from God to try to make sense of this life unfolding in slow motion.

That’s when I realize that I’m still alive! And I am disappointed. Not that I’m alive but that God is not black. Or sorry.

I initiate a systems check to see what I’m working with here.

Begin by moving my left hand. Good. Right hand.

Yup. Left leg. Yes. Excellent. Right leg. No response.

Sending neural signal again. Nope. Nothing. No cigar.

No leg either. And I am so happy I can pee myself. And then I do. I can live with this, I think. Whatever this is.

Then the cop shows up and I tell him that I think I’m about to go into shock. So he throws his Chicago Police Department issued leather jacket on me. Till the ambulance arrives.

When they get there, they put me onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. Only after he closes the doors do, I reach into my leather jacket and pull out my nine-inch knife and hand it to him. For safe keeping, I say.

At the hospital, they make you wait. A long time.

And then they tell you how lucky you are. To be alive with only a broken ankle to show for it. And you nod.

Agreeing.

The next day you shove your broken ankle into the tight motorcycle boot and walk out.

A month later you are in court. And he is there. No, not God. Who is not black? Apparently. But the gentleman who hit you at forty miles per hour. They call his name and you can’t believe your ears.

His name is Mr. Love!

And when Love hits you at forty miles per hour, you pay attention. And you take stock. And you move to Portland. And so here I am. Now twenty years or so.

And in case you are asking yourself what Love drives? A 77 Ford Dynasty. Of course.

And so it goes. Here on the border of Idaho and Oregon.

Arrived There is the accretion of life. And death. On the road. On your face. On the stain, that is your soul.

Of things seen mile after mile. The carving of the wind against your face. The beard rising to oppose the wind and cold.

The gauntness around the eyes. The furled brow in defense against an excess of light. The gaze forever scanning the horizon. Retreating and receding.

There are the Eagles large and heavy perched on a dead or dying limb.

The burro. Alone in the corral. The dead snake on the side of the road for which you stop. To gaze upon death up close. Life – Alberto Moreno, Tankside defanged.

The geese who fly in staggered and staggering formation against an azure sky. And their shadows attendant.

There is the Indian. Expectant. Waiting. For returnment. Of the buffalo. Of land. Of a different time.

There is the endless road. The setting sun. The fog rising from the distant field.

The dog barking lonely in the night. And the silent return.

There is the steady hum humming of the airplane engine in between your legs. For five thousand miles or more.

And the exhaustion. And the overwhelming gratitude which deliver, which deliver you to this Western shore....

Epilogue: The Time Traveller’s Dilemma No one warns you. About the time traveler’s lag.

I guess it should be expected. After all it is no small thing to travel across this measured landscape. To take in so much life. In passing and not be affected by its relentless march.

Someone should warn you about the temporal hangover that time travel will give you.

Or the dissonance of reentry. No one prepares you for the noise of this world. Or the effort, idle speech requires.

But most of all no one prepares you for an excess of so much beauty in such unfair proximity. Which is not passing? And lingers there...

“NO ONE PREPARES YOU FOR THE NOISE OF THIS WORLD. OR THE EFFORT, IDLE SPEECH REQUIRES.”

December 2015 | 17 -Alberto Moreno

In the Cage

JEEP PATRIOT: RESISTANCE AT ALL COST

By Roger Rivero

I

remember a salsa song, where the chorus went: “What does it have that it’s still around?” The chorus would apply to the Jeep Patriot.

Many writers admit their surprise when presented with the 2015 version of this Jeep, which was expected to disappear some time ago.

The model first appeared at the 2006 automobile expo in New York, and sales started with the 2007 model. Chrysler, for better or worse, has not done much to update the Patriot, although it got some cosmetic changes in 2011.

Despite the manufacturer’s negligence in not updating the model and internal competition with the Compass SUV, the Jeep Cherokee — which became the “cutie” of Chrysler’s compact crossovers — and the introduction of the Renegade, the Jeep Patriot is reluctant to say goodbye. Numbers don’t lie, and in 2011 54,647 were sold. In 2012, 62,010 were sold and in 2013, 75,797. Last year 93,462 Jeep Patriots came out of dealerships and in the first nine months of 2015 almost 89,000 have been sold!

Chrysler originally planned to quit making the Patriot in 2012. The latest rumors say that by 2016, it will be merged with the Compass into a new model.

The truth is, it has been a good experience to drive this SUV. Understanding how a product survives its maker’s intentions to kill it off is like a psychological experiment.

After a week of driving a Patriot, I concluded that while there is a large segment of the driving population that needs low-cost products (the Patriot Sport is the most economical SUV in the market) that meet the basic functionality elements.

And as manufacturers strive to add more features and ornaments 18 | December 2015

to their products, there are still many consumers who can live without the “bling” — those who buy a car to go from point A to point B. To get from A to B in a Patriot Sport costs about $17,295. Not much comfort can be bought with that money because even the air conditioning is optional for the price. The Patriot Latitude’s base price is $21,895. Air conditioning and heated seats are included at that price, as well as reclining rear seats and remote keyless entry.

Finally, the Patriot High Altitude has a base price of $24,525.

The Patriot’s base engine, 2.0 liters, and 4 cylinders produce 158 horsepower. It is offered only in the Patriot Sport and Latitude with front-wheel drive. Five-speed manual transmission is the default transmission, with a six-speed automatic as an option. There is also a CVT transmission that comes only with the Altitude or High Altitude packages.

One detail we like is the options you can buy to help the Jeep drive over uneven terrain — called “Freedom Drive I and Freedom Drive II.” With these packages, the 4X4 system is improved with a second-generation CVT with the transverse axis, 17-inch all-terrain tires, tow hooks and fog lights.

For a week, we drove our Patriot Latitude 4x4, and while this would be an excellent opportunity to pick on it, I’d rather not. My main complaint is the fuel consumption, which at 23 miles in the city and 30 on the highway, is below all competitors. Otherwise, this 4X4 feels sturdy on the inside, rather comfortable, without much luxury, but functional.

This year I’ve had the opportunity to drive expensive cars — a $382,825 Rolls-Royce Ghost and the Mercedes-Maybach S600 that for $204,635 includes a mini bar for passengers. Through this, I better understand the appeal of the relatively inexpensive SUV. As the French poet Arthur Rimbaud wrote: “Heaven, there are many of us condemned down here.”

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December 2015 | 19

20 | December 2015

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