Monday, July 7, 2008

Hollister Ca. Bike Rally




Okay, if there are no fires, if I get done teaching Safety in Paradise, Nv to the Forest Service Employees, I am going to the http://www.horsepowerpromotions.com/ and the Hollister Motorcycle Rally!
You all have heard this before, "The Birthplace of the American Biker"!
My equal on the other shift is back from his detail, and he has the phones his last week here, I have been watching the weather to see if we are gonna get any lightning storms, it looks good right now, and my boss said to GO!

And you guessed it, "Biker Chicks"!

The Wild One is a 1953 outlaw biker film directed by László Benedek. It is remembered for Marlon Brando's portrayal of the gang leader Johnny Strabler as a juvenile delinquent, dressed in a leather jacket and riding a 1950 Triumph Thunderbird 6T. Acting opposite Brando was Lee Marvin as a rival gang leader. This low-budget production had Brando playing a "rebel without a cause" two years before James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (1955).


The Wild One was based on a short story, "The Cyclists' Raid" by Frank Rooney, in the January 1951 issue of Harper's Magazine. The story was later published in book form as part of The Best American Short Stories 1952. The story took a cue from an actual biker street party on the Fourth of July weekend in 1947 in Hollister, California that was elaborately trumped up in Life Magazine, and dubbed the Hollister riot, with staged photographs of wild motorcycle outlaw revellers. The Hollister event is now celebrated annually. In the film, the town is located somewhere in California.

For the most part, the bikers in the film are just generally rowdy in pursuit of a good time, and don't radiate the sinister menace seen in later biker movies based on the Hells Angels, some of whom actually appeared in those films. Indeed, a group of local vigilantes (led by a businessman) who try to take on the bikers are noticeably more unsympathetic (using their influence to obtain lenient treatment from law enforcement, brutally beating up Brando, and finally causing an accident in which a resident is killed and for which Brando is blamed). San Francisco Hell's Angels chapter president Frank Sadilek bought the striped shirt that Lee Marvin wore in the movie, and wore it when meeting police officials.

Trying with little success to keep things under control is the local Sheriff played by Robert Keith.
He and Brando were to face each other again on opposite sides of the law in the comedy musical Guys and Dolls.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Random thoughts...





Found the picture of the Rodeo's plate....How cool is that....? Did you know that Nevada has the most personalized tags per capita in the nation....Of course, most are in Vegas on Limo's and Taxi's......

Here is a pic of Pearl, taken from the top of our tower at dispatch!

You never know what kind of aircraft you are gonna see here.....I am hoping for some super secret spy plan, but this helo was flying this contraption, that is supposed to find gold! Yeah, right.....How about some oil?!

Oh, and this "Black Helo" with no tail numbers, getting fuel......

Virginia City, Nevada





I really like VA City, Nv.

You know, the one that the boys from Bonanza rode to in their show all of the time.....

Anyway, everytime I go there, there are bike everywhere! The town even sections off area's of the street for parking...

Yesterday was no different. Bike everywhere, people everywhere!

It was nice to ride for the day. I worked 40 hours of OT last week to include two of my days off.

So, it was nice to get away...Oh yeah, I stopped in the guns stores along RT 50 also!

Legend of the Bell



As most know, there have been a few problems with Pearl.

I thought those bells on most Harley's was cool, but never knew why they were there....

While at "Spring Street Vibrations" one of the vendors had them for sale. I found a fire hydrant one, and purchased it...When the clerk gave me my receipt, he gave me a paper with the story on it.....

LEGEND OF THE BELL*


You may have noticed that most Harley-Davidson’s have a small bell hanging from bottom of the frame. No it doesn’t mean that rider is a fairy. The reason they have the bell is because of the Legend of the Bell. Read the story below.


THE LEGEND OF THE BELL*

As we all know, life has many mysteries that have no apparent solutions. One of these is Evil Road Spirits. They are little gremlins that live on your bike. They love to ride. They're also responsible for most of your bike's problems. Sometimes your turn signals refuse to work, or the battery goes dead.


Road Spirits can't live in the presence of a bell. They get trapped in the hallow of the bell. Among other things, their hearing is supersensitive. The constant ring of the bell and the confined space drives them insane. They lose their grip and eventually fall to the roadway. (Have you ever wondered how potholes are formed?) The bell has served its purpose.

If you have picked up a bell of your own, the magic will work. But if your bell was given to you, the power has been doubled, and you know that somewhere you have a special friend helping to look after you.

So, if you have a friend that doesn't have a bell, why not be the person to give them one? It's a nice feeling for the recipient to know you personally cared. The, plus a good preventive maintenance program by the bike's owner, will help eliminate the Evil Road Spirits.

Since I put this bell on, it seems that a few of the problems with Pearl have subsided, plus, she is running great!

A picture of my bell is a the top..................

Friday, July 4, 2008

Dilemma Decided....

Well, I am at work today, and yes, I knew all along I would.....And, since the FMO (BLM's version of a Fire Chief) has fire on until 2100 because of the 4th holiday, looks like I am not gonna go to the Vegas Gun show....

I am however going to go to Virginia City, Carson City and Reno and look around. Plus, there will be plenty of things happening in VA City...

It will be a good day, cause they are calling for 100 degree temps, and red flag warnings for fire.....

I will have to take lots of pics.....

Thursday, July 3, 2008

My New Dilemma

Okay, we have several fires going on right now.....My boss wants me to work tomorrow, (I am here today also) which I do not mind....BUT, I had planned on riding down to Vegas tomorrow morning, getting a room in some sleazy North Las Vegas Motel......Going to the Las Vegas Gun Show on Saturday morning, and then leaving Vegas and coming back Saturday afternoon......

So, if I work tomorrow, then I figure I would go home about 6pm (unless we have a fire) and get some sleep until about midnight.....Get up, and ride to Vegas, getting there around 5am....Just in time for the breakfast buffets to open! (even though I hardly eat much at those anymore).....

Do the gun show.....Ride the strip several times....Hit up a couple gun stores, maybe play some craps and get back on the road no later than 1pm, cause some of the gas stations that I will need to stop at close at around 8pm.....

This would put me back in the "Muck" around 6-7pm......

My dilemma is, do I go and hope that the station in Hawthorne does accept credit cards after they are closed or do I just wait until the end of the month for the Reno Gun Show, and ride to Virgina City (Yes, the one from Bonanza!) for the Show and Shine Biker Games event?......

Or, just wait until the 11th, and ride to Hollister, Ca (Home of the "American Biker") and the 2008 Hollister Bike Fest.........?....

Ahh, decisions, decisions, decisions......Which one will I make....

Hmmm... a genuine "Clint Eastwood" style 44 magnum or biker games.......

All this, and Pearl is running great!!!!!!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Beautiful Day to Ride!

Still working today, and the three major fires we had here in Northern Nevada are winding down.....I rode over to town today at lunch.....OMG what a Hot, beautiful day to ride....!!!

I almost decided to stay gone after lunch, but I knew better......

Starting three days off tomorrow.....There may be a 5 hour ride to Vegas on Friday for Saturday's gun show.......We shall see how the fires go....