ALR - Blogs -2009 on

ALR PGR Early 4th of July at Moffett

2011-07-02T15:13:00.000-07:00

Pics are top to bottom, click on a pic twice to see it full size, text for a pic is under the pic...

Bunker set ALR / PGR up for an early 4th parade at Moffett Field so why not! I love a parade! Had a good turnout, I think I counted 11 scoots. Thanks to all that showed up!!!

We staged at the parking lot just in front of the gate. Sweet Ruby front and left.... flag flying....

Bunker, Gary and JD in front....

JD rode Georgie and her scoot to the event, great to see her out! Been a while! She's chatting with Slick John and Larry.

Nice to see Sgtmaj out for a fun event too!

Dianne offering a hug or two, I made sure and got in line first! Of course, Gary was not far behind!

We rolled thru the housing areas and "woke" folks up! Got a lot of waves!!! Then we parked to get ready for the parade!!! It was to be led by the kids on their bikes and scooters and all decorated up!

Getting their rides all set up!

Guess we caused enough of a stir and folks just kept coming by.....

Had the scoots lined up and ready to go... Bunker in front.

This little girl had a big bike and bigger smile!!!

Sgtmaj was also handing out American Flag pins to the kids, one little guy even gave him a hug!!!

Some of our riders were helping the kids decorate their bikes.

I forget the name of the kid, but he had his bike picked out and it was Bunkers, helmet already on!!!

And we have a band too!!! Real nice, but I was in the back and couldn't hear it...

Almost ready to go, kids on their bikes and scooters first, band and then us, honking things up and just generally making noise! Lots of waves, great folks!!!

After we returned, we had a dog show, and the mutt won!! And of course, Ruby came in second, I was voting for first, but my vote didn't count! My scoot is named Ruby, so kinda partial....

And the last pic, Bunker has to get for us, it was a group photo of all the families and the riders mingled in with them. I'll add it here ____________ GBG

ALR - Help at the downtown San Jose Vet Center for a BBQ

2011-05-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

Pics are from top to bottom, click on a pic twice to see it full size, text for a pic is under the pic.

I did not take any attendee pics as we are mostly asked not to do that, and I understand privacy reasons.

Bunker sent out a note to ALR about a BBQ at the downtown Vet Center needing help. He said if you're not working please try to make it.... well, I sure fit that one! GBG

I had not seen any chatter about this and almost let it go, but one of the things I've learned in my PGR runs is that one of us counts and we carry all with us! And I have stood alone, and thanked for being there..... And off I went!

Found the place, no problem, parked in back next to the BBQ and unfurled my 3 x 5. Should have taken a pic of Ruby, she was looking fine! Walked up and asked who was running this show... Think I took some folks aback a bit.

A little mumbling and I headed to the front to see what was happening.... Who do I see but our friend and District 10 rider Ed Wells in his finest luau and lei getup! Turns out that Ed works there!

Well he turned me over to some folks and they said get more burgers, we're running low.. and off I went.

BTW, I was the only colors there, Ed left his in his office which he showed me later. He has a great job and really likes working there. Great on Ya for helping the Vets! And I'm sorry I did not get your pic for the blog! Great get up! GBG

So out I went for some burgers and found the cookers! The guy in front cooked 300 burgers! And YES, they were flame broiled!!! GBG

While I was standing around, Maria, who also works there, came up with her clip board and I signed up for something, don't have a clue as to what, but always glad to help!

She started to give me a raffle ticket and I said they were for the vets. She said "aren't you a vet?" ..... I gave her my VA card and my info, I am a VA patient, use their services. I was trying trying to say, I'm here to help not participate... sigh...

The party area, and they had good music and a great crowd. I spent some time talking to the vets and had a great visit.

I believe they will try to make this an annual event. I hope a few more colors might show up if so, to visit with the vets.

ALR - Easter Baskets for Dos Palos year 3 2011

2011-04-23T17:28:00.000-07:00

Pics are from top to bottom, click on a pic twice for full size, text for a pic is under he pic.

Year 3 of Easter Baskets for Dos Palos, east of Los Banos. Last year we had a mass scramble as we ran out early... I didn't stay to the end, but I estimate we had at least 500 baskets, and I really doubt we ran out!

Gene visiting in the middle.

Just scanning the parking lot....

More on the far side of the lot! We had a bunch!!! Thanks to all that showed up!!!!

Hey!!!! You have to have an Easter Bunny!!!! Kids loved him. James Brown, the man renowned! GBG

Sandy and Gary R arriving, Bunker was first then the Cranky dude and now Gary, the rest from Post 564 were there soon.

Ed and Jeannette J. pulling in with Al Maddog on the right.

Trying to get parked...

Maddog getting gassed!

Chris of Cliff and Chris giving out hugs... yeah, I'm always in that line too!!!

You can see the escort squad cars in front.

Another section of the parade....

More....

We take the Easter Baskets to the police dept for passing out to the kids. Ed in the middle bringing in a few. Met him recently in a PGR run.

More heading in to drop off baskets.....

We were literally bringing them in by the box full!

A shot or two of the scoots.

Here you can see the line of hopefuls on the left wrapping around the corner.

And down the block and around another corner.... yeah, I got lazy...

They had been passing out baskets by time I took the next two shots...

There was a BUNCH of baskets!!!

Bunker, Ya did good!!! Great on Ya and all who attended! It made a fine day for a lot of families! God Bless 'um and may they enjoy tomorrow!

ALR - National Commander's Visit Santa Clara Post 564

2010-12-12T18:31:00.000-08:00

Pics are from top to bottom, click on a pic for a larger pic and then again, text for a pic is under the pic.

We had a distinguished visitor and I thought I'd get down to Santa Clara AL Post 564 and take some pics. Well, as always, my timing wasn't all that great! The escort team did a fine job and the scoots were already there when I rolled in. Great job!

Al (Maddog) Cook, our ALR District 13 VP was walking out in the parking lot and gave me a shout, said I was 45# and then Slickjohn came in for 46#. Nice group of scoots!

More scoots, and I cut the front end off my Sweet Ruby, sigh....

Looks like the right amount of cooks in the kitchen! GBG

The Honor Guard getting ready.

Guest table all set up...

And lots of folks here to welcome our Commander! Great on Ya!

More folks, the entire room was filled up!

I found some of my ALR District 13 friends, on the left. Mike G, and on the left Gary R, and Hardass behind him.

If you ever meet Hardass, ask about his 'nic, as in all of us, there is a story. And we all earned 'um! GBG All great folks! Think Hardass is from District 28.

Gary and Hardass held my legs straight on lane 4 of 680 and Berryessa while I was waiting for an ambulance ride to ICU on 1/12/8, following a welcome home PGR mission ... but that's another story... sigh.

ALR/PGR - San Jose Veterans Day Parade '10

2010-11-11T18:11:00.000-08:00

Pics are from top to bottom, click on a pic fir a larger pic then do it again, text for a pic is under the pic.

(11/14 UPDATE - just added 2 pics at the very bottom of the Cranky dude! GBG)

09 Parade: http://alrblogseries.blogspot.com/2009/11/alrpgr-san-jose-2009-vets-parade.html

08 Parade: http://alrpgrsanjose08veteransday.blogspot.com/

Guess I didn't do '06 and '07 blogs, sigh...

It was a great day for a GREAT celebration of Veterans Day parade in San Jose! The turn out was fantastic, must of been 80+ scoots and by golly, we all made noise!

It was a crowd pleaser and we were first in line! Outstanding and thanks to all that rode!!!

I get there late as I'm apt to do.... standing around isn't my thing.... The two folks on the left were headed to give me a hug and Brian wanted to tell me turn off my $*%#)$ lights!

Buzz with the red shirt is getting better after a scoot fall down, happens to the best of us.. right time, wrong place, BTDT, sigh. Glad you are doing great!

Out Rep Zoe's car, nice T bird!

OK, lots of nice T birds!!! GBG

Headin' for the head and took a shot of the rest of the folks practicing and warming up.

Well now we have the Vet line!!! Very appropriate!

And the old...

So here is ALR / PGR and what a showing! Fantastic! Sweet Ruby in front, of course!

Just a lot of bikes... When I rode in 06, we had 4 scoots, and the crowd loved us! We've gotten better count over the years!

The bright sun played "heck" with my camera, dark shadows and very bright sun... I fixed the pics best as I could, sorry...

My friend Roy C next to Jeanette J and Shirley B.

Here we get a show from Jigger and squeeze, Sr moment on the name, sigh...

Now here on the left is Cheryl and Audie... Great friends and fellow Dist 13 riders. Great to see them, its been too long! Missed them last Sunday at Menlo Park, they had the mizzeries... We had a car show for the vets and did some visiting....
http://alrblogseries.blogspot.com/2010/11/alr-stars-and-stripes-and-cars-and.html

Brian and Cas. Cas is our go to guy for trips to San Jose airport for PGR missions. He works in security and helps us with our scoot staging, and it is VERY much appreciated! He runs that Valk MANY miles and has fun, believe he said he has 120K on 'er! Great on Ya!

Trying to get the scope of the scoots, Mark Z in front talking to Hy L, who organized the car show in Menlo Park on Sunday! Thank you my friend!

My friend Roy C next to his scoot... The blinding back light got me again... sigh.

Ca PGR State Ride Captain Rich B sittin' on his scoot.

This scoot had great lighting, you can see a bit, the blues off the front fender, etc.

Just shooting all the scoots...

My friend and fellow ALR Dist 13 rider / PGR / WWR, Slickjohn he's a rider!

Here is Jeanettes grand daughter wearing her helmet.. A real cutie! GBG

The Pipers warming up! Love the bags!

We're getting our say once from Brian about the ride, there were sooooo many folks, it took 3 shots to get them all in. Bunker, second from right, our ALR Dist 13 Prez...

You will notice that District 13 ALR was well represented.... I'm one also...

I know this guy, he's Uncle Sam. I was in an escort for his son on a welcome home.

Hey Jake!!!! Looky who showed up!!! Eric and Gorgeous!!! GBG I had a GREAT hug!!!! Eat your heart out!!! Hope all is great in your life! He's traveling for a while...

The race is on! Har, but we're on our way!

OK, we stopped, and I took a pic of Slickjohn, Mike A. Mark Z. and Susan A behind me.

NOW we're moving, notice the feet down, normal parade routine... but the crowd loves the noise and attention and waves!

A bit of a shot from the tip of Hy's hack on the left.

Slickjohn, having a ball, I swear he was almost doing burnouts and making a lot of noise.... except for that !*)%!#)*$ squeaky horn of his, it sound like its breathing helium!

You know the drill, feet down, how else could I take a pic?

Nice line of scoots.

Lots of folks showed up and we had a great time, and I hope they did. I saw a sign along the way, Bataan Death March Survivor. I stopped and rendered a salute, and held it 'til his went down. It was an honor. God Bless!

I hope all enjoyed this years parade as much as I did! I loved the participation! Well beyond any other years, and great!

Hey!!! The Cranky dude!! GBG

I just received 2 pics from a friend and fellow ALR District 13 rider. I don't normally get pics of me in an event. Thank Ya Sandy R. for the pics!!!

ALR - Stars and Stripes and Cars and Bikes

2010-11-07T18:22:00.001-08:00

Pics are from top to bottom, click on a pic for a larger pic - then click again, text for a pic is under the pic.

The title says it all!!! Vets, cars and.... -1- bike! GBG OK, rain happened and it didn't look too bad from my place, but as I crank a bicycle, I know the good weather sites...

I knew what was ahead, hey, put on the gear and behind all that plastic, not too bad.... just don't stop! Not bad on the way to Menlo Park VA, got some rain there, and a bunch more on the way back, but dressed for it and didn't get a drop on ME! GBG Cleaning Ruby for the Vets Parade on 11/11 was a bit tougher... sigh.

This is year 2 of the event, Went last year and had a fantastic time visiting with some folks that had a bit of wrinkle in there lives, and some day, it could be me, I'm a VA member too. As the saying goes, "But for the Grace of God... there go I".

Last year: http://alrblogseries.blogspot.com/2009/11/alr-pgr-menlo-park-va-run.html

The assistants were fabulous again this year, they make you feel so welcome it's just fun to be there, and it really is! Once you get to visiting with the Vets, well it's just natural conversation. And both they and I appreciated it!

I got to drive inside a building again!!! This twice in 2 years!!! They laid out the "carpet" for me! GBG

So I got to the staging place and one of last years assistants came over and said "I got this text from Audie, he won't be here!"! Well in my best of John Wayne voices, I said !)$*!#_$^&*T!#$)!#$% GBG Audie called me and we chatted.

Audie and Cheryl had gotten the mizzeries and had to stay home, good on 'um for having the sense, speaking of sense... that's why I was there! GBG Just kidding!

So of the 4 scoots that were supposed to be there, you see above those that showed up! I was a bit apprehensive about going in all by my lonesome, but I've learned from my PGR riding... one of us makes a difference, NEVER forget that!! I've ridden alone before and I'll do it any time!

And it did! I had a great time visiting! As Sweet Ruby was staged in the building, folks could come out a few at a time and we could chat, ask / answer questions, and they were entertained and loved it!!! They were actually amazed to come thru the doors and see a scoot, as gorgeous as Ruby, sitting in the hallway! Very amazed! Maybe I found some new riders for us!

The amazing part is... I spent over an hour there, and it was a blink of an eye, the guard that stayed with me - required - was an Iraq vet, and he was a great part of the visit and for the guests. Many good conversations. It was an honor to be there, we say it often and it's always meant.

The staff brought out towels to dry Ruby off so the folks could sit on 'er and we could get some pics. I'll update this blog when I get some pics from the VA, I can't take pics of folks for privacy reasons, and glad to respect them! Asking for the best for their future!

After our visit in the lock down... (Ya see that description always worries me, I'm afraid they won't let me out! GBG) I went over to the main meeting area for lunch, and it was great, well I got invited to park under the tent as it was coming down pretty good. Sounded good to me!

The Boy Scout Honor Guard was getting ready to set the colors.

Just shooting around the meeting area....

The table in the back was filled with gifts for the Vets. While we are there we are given tickets to pass out. It's a way for the Vets to win gifts and more important, a chance for us to talk and interact with them.

If you can imaging being in a place, and not having outside visitors, after a while you'd like to see some folks too. That's why I go! God Bless 'um and asking the best for their future!

Hy Libby, the organizer, and I sat with a vet and he builds cars. He had some pics of 'um, and WOW did he have a bunch of great ol' muscle cars!!! Gorgeous!

Please, for you and our Vets, think about this ride next year. Come in a cage if needed, the Vets love visiting with you! And you can thank them for their service!

ALR - Gold Star Poker Run to San Bruno

2010-09-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

Pics are from top to bottom, click on a pic for a larger pic, text for a pic is under the pic.

Late add, a slide show of the poker run. It looks great! Wish I would have gone on it! Went on one and did NOT like it, this was a great one! http://tinyurl.com/22wqoss (Link to photos)

Gold Star Poker Run Fundraiser Started at Post 419 and after a few stops went to San Bruno, Ca for a BBQ, music, drawings and quite honestly a great get together for a lot of good folks that don't very often ride just for the fun of getting together.

One of the stops, I found out later, I don't do poker runs, was a visit to GGNC and I really wish I would've gone!

On a much more serious note, it was to honor our fallen and some were parents of the fallen that attended, God Bless 'um and Prayers of support in their loss.

There are Blue Star and Gold Star parents, Blue Star have children serving and Gold Star, have lost theirs while serving.

On a good note, the weather was pretty good, as the band and the food! Thanks to James Brown and wife and Gold Star Dad Kevin Graves, a real good event and they've promised to do this every Labor Day Sunday in the future... Plan on it and hope to see you there!

As I said, I don't do poker runs, did one and did NOT like it, apparently they are not all the same... So I decided to run up to the finish point a bit early, scoot number 1!!!

Lynn Tross on top of the steps scoping things out. She is an outstanding volunteer and rides her Hummer to many events, brings water and snacks. Thank you for what you do!!!!

The welcome shade and the band warming up in the far right corner.

The volunteers setting up. God Bless 'um for all the support they give our troops!

Kevin Graves son.

Like I said, the shade was appreciated!

Here comes the Poker Run crowd! Led by Mike and Suzanne Ammons! I heard many good comments on how he ran the event! Great on Ya Mike!

Here they come down the ramp and around to the parking area...

I believe the guy with the red shirt is Skip, and IIRC he said he was around 87 and doing great and a long time veteran and I've seen him at many events. Live long my friend! I chatted with him for a while before the scoots arrived. We are both hard of hearing and it makes conversations interesting! GBG

Lining up the scoots, row 2 forming.

Here is Brada Panak and wife, Big Jake made a surprise visit - GREAT to see you!!! and Georgie made it too (big hugs)- and Rich Martin in front with his VERY nice new 02 Illusion Blue wing! He loves it! Don't know the front rider....

Lining up and gettin' the stuff off....

Rich with his very nice scoot! Did I say he loves it? GBG Look at the smile!

The table I was at, Big Jake center Georgie to the right, back to us. Panak and wife at the right end, Sandy and Gary Ragsdale on the right, far side.

I missed Tom Ballard, Gold Star Dad far left end of this table far side, giving me a wave, and to his left is Dianne Layfield Gold Star Mom and it was great to see them!

To the Blue/Gold Star Moms from all over that did this, God Bless and thank you for your support of our troops and their parents!

ALR / STAR Delta Ride and Eat

2010-08-15T17:19:00.001-07:00

Pics are from top to bottom, click on a pic for a larger pic, text for a pic is under the pic.

So Bunker is a member of STAR and of course, ALR. He thought it'd be a great idea if we got together for a ride and get to know each other better. I know some STAR riders and now know some more.

So what to do??? Eat of course! And horrors, I forgot to take food pics!!! Out on the delta, on 4 is Union Pt. Marina Bar and Grill and the Red Caboose to follow in Antioch with a stop in Concord. If anyone left hungry... can't happen! GBG

So I got there first, Trouble Maker (Glen P) came right in behind me. I wound up parking in the back 40 as I didn't have a clue as to how many were gonna show...

Rich M NICE looking Illusion Blue Wing (Eat your heart out Sherm, you too Roy C!!!).

Bike shot... I talked to the lady on the wing and asked her if she rode a lot and she said yes. So I said, you have at try out my beads.... next thing I hear is hubby saying "thanks a LOT!!! Now I have to get some!!!" So he tried them and liked 'um too!

Bike shot....

Bunker giving us his "say once" about the ride.

Gene B harassing Jigger.

Well, we get to the Union Pt. Marina Bar and Grill, and the parking is a bit tight, so Ruby and a few more were again out in the back 40, but the most gorgeous bike is in front! GBG My blog....

Getting ready to go in....

Caught Georgie rummaging thru her saddle bag. While there, Georgie was swapping notes with Jake... that poooooorr soul was eating at Lenny's!! Sooooo sorry for you Jake, Wish you were here! GBG I gotta go by with some Seafoam for your scoot... I went down to the water and got some!!!! GBSEG

You could have not asked for a better day!!! about 80, slight breeze, just fantastic!

The boaters were loving the weather, too!

Caught George C, Al C and wife, and Glen P AKA Trouble Maker after lunch...

Next stop is the Red Caboose in Antioch.

Inside was nice!

Nice patio out back.

Water right next to us! Cooled us down to just perfect!

Georgie heading over, her and I were going to skip Concord and I escorted her back to San Jose and left her just before 1600 at the Coleman turnoff on 880 so I could hit 87, waves and honks and on down the road.

OK, it IS a Red Caboose!! GBG Folks, it was a GREAT DAY!!!! Told the wife I needed a ride... haven't been out for a while... har...

A better day could not have been had! Thanks Bunker for the ride and all that showed up. I didn't do a bike count but it must've been close to 30.

ALR Dist 13 had Bunker, George, Georgie, Al and wife and the Cranky dude!

ALR PGR - San Jose Parade and Tom Ballard BBQ 07 04 10

2010-07-04T18:49:00.001-07:00

Pics are from top to bottom, click on a pic for a larger pic, text for a pic is under the pic.

***** UPDATE!!! 07/05/10 Gary and Sandy R. sent me some pics taken during the parade, included and noted below. Thank you BOTH!!!! ******

*** Second update, Their Bog of ALL their pics link! http://picasaweb.google.com/felix4482/PATRIOT?authkey=Gv1sRgCP3ojLqm3Pqmaw&feat=email#

4th of July... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ what to do but get a late cup a coffee... sigh... Bunker sets us up for a parade at some Un...darned early.... but then we get to visit Tom Ballard and then Bunker gets to be taste tester... I'm gettin' a sense here the decks stacked!! GBG

I did slap the alarm clock but managed to get to the parade staging a whopping 5 minutes before parade start! But I figured, why stand around, stop, pull in the clutch and go! GBG

We were waaaaayyyyy in the back so I got to shut Ruby down for a while.

We had a pretty good showing! Mike and Suzy A had their scoots in front, Georgie (Nice to see you sweetheart!). Slick John brought his old bike WITH THE GOOD HORN!!! not his squeaker, Bruce and Lori, Hy with his hack and friend, Bunker, Santa Clause - the hit of the parade and BBQ!!! and the Cranky dude...

Gary R. pic. Bunker at staging. Thanks to Gary and Sandy for the extra pics!!

Did I say we were wwwwaaaaayyyyy back????

But by 1020 we started and stopped.... a lot, but that's what parades are about. Slick John, Bunker and Lori and Bruce... Santa is in front of Bunker with his raft of flags.

Hy, Suzy and Mike....

Better shot of Hy and his hack, I was shooting blind... but then I always am, sigh....

Georgie got out to visit with us!!! Great on Ya!!!!

I love a parade.... the guy who wrote that did NOT ride a scoot.... note the operable feet position.

Georgie and Slick... lookin' great! She had to leave the parade, she was running low on gas and it was hot!

Better pic of Slick from Gary R.

I finally took the opportunity to run up to a group of folks, stop, and give 'um a toot from my 139db air horn and wave! They loved it! So did I!

Gary R. pic of the Cranky Dude at one of my stop, toot and wave visit with the crowd!

Just got this from Dave E. Thanks!

Gary R. pic of Bunker.

A well attended parade, and it was in an older section of town and the streets were tree lined and today, that was great! Very warm! My Kawasaki Nomad radiator fan kept kicking on to keep the scoot cool, would not be without a cooled scoot... JM2C

Suzy and Mike, the Jeep in the middle was apparently well received, Mike said later, Whoever had it was well known, and the crowd liked them much, raised a ruckus as they went by.

Gary R. pic of Mike and Suzy A.

This is where the street was very wide and Santa and I went all over the place to stop and hoot the crowd up! We had a great time!

Here is a good shot of Santa having a great time! And he has a BUNCH of flags!!!

And a much better shot from Gary R.

Gary R. pic of the group.

Gary R. pic of Hy in the parade.

Gary R. pic of Slick and behind him is Hy's friend.

We finally get to staging and cool down a bit. Parking across the street....

And our line of scoots. When we left we went and visited a wounded Vet and Bunker took up a donation for him as he's at a stage of difficulty and we wanted him to know we are there for him and he has friends. There was a list of things we could buy, but we figured that they knew better than us what to get.

The pic I was waiting for!!! May the Good Lord Help you thru life! You've got a lot to look forward to! Thank you for allowing us to visit! God Bless!

We visited for a while and got to know his family and I'm waiting for a pic from his dad to add to the blog, with him and all of us. I was a very special moment and very honored to be there!

After leaving we stopped at a gas station... Santa and I had to go.... Bunker needed gas and the station only had 87, so on to another station.... but Santa an I were VERY happy!!! 87 works for me, but not Bunker.

We get to Tom Ballard's place a bit early, around 1335, the BBQ was scheduled for 1400, but we needed a cool drink and that was great for us! He had awnings lined up and covered his entire yard, and with a breeze, we were VERY happy! It had been a hot morning! Sweet Ruby in front, lookin' real great! Santa to the right....

You can see the shade awnings behind the scoots.

Tom giving us his annual "thank you" speech for being here, the thank you's come from all of us for such a treat!!! Thank YOU Tom!!! God Bless and Love You and Comfort you! I'm sure Ken was smiling as wide as the sky and I'm surprised we didn't here some thunder! I hope at some point your phone call to the "trainer" worked out fine!

Here is a ww II Jeep in great condition, and it was in the San Jose parade with us! Thank you for being here and there!

That's Roy C behind his scoot in front, looking at my trunk. He's test riding a 1800 Wing, at a great price and it's weighting very heavy on him, he loves it.....

BUY THE *)@_%@$*#) THING!!!! At that price I would be tempted! .... but I don't want a Wing.... GBG

Last shot of the scoots, we had 9 and a Jeep, and Steve's truck flying VERY high!!! Later Dianne and Doug came in followed by Rich M and wife, both of the guys just getting back from RFTW, great to see 'um back and safe, many miles.

ALR - Alice Ride to Meet Indian Run Riders 0605

2010-06-05T17:42:00.001-07:00

Pics are from top to bottom, click on a pic.. and then click on it again to see it at its largest, text for a pic is under the pic.

Al "Mad Dog" was running amuck in the Santa Cruz hills and called Bruce and Lori and said "hey, meet us at Alice's at 1200! So they sent out a message to our ALR District 13 group and a ride was on the books.

I wanted to go... nothing is simple, had some painters coming on ride morning 06/05/10 and the dark blue didn't match... wife had to get some more and it was crowding my time, but it all came together!!

Got to the staging place, Gary and Sandy's scoot in front and Bruce and Lori on the left and my Sweet Ruby in tailgate position. That's when I got the story about 1130 instead of 1200, not to worry, we did get there with 10 minutes to spare..

Bruce, Gary, Sandy and Lori.

Cranky gets into the picture????!!!!!!! Lori stepped out and took one, thank Ya!

Well in pulls Larry (Stinger) Yates! I'll let him tell that story... GBG He has a nice new to him scoot.

We arrive at Alice's safely, and Bruce/Lori were in front leading the pack, and may I say made a great ride leader. He rode like I like, the speed limit, no hurry, safe and sane. Thank you for doing that and calling the ride.

Here comes the Indian Run riders. we passed 'um at a georgeous overlook on 35, it's about 6 miles south of Alice's and the view of the valley floor is just outstanding. On the way back, Stinger and I stopped and I took some pics... later in the blog...

They just keep comin' in.....

Now here comes "Trouble"! And his handle IS Trouble! Hey! He's not even on an Indian! See what I mean! Glen (Trouble) Palmer one of the first I met in my early PGR runs beginning in March 06. I used to run far and wide out into the valley in the early years, and back then is when I met Al (Mad Dog) when he was central Ca PGR ride captain. I met and rode with many, rode long runs, like they did back when we didn't have many folks. Great folks. Scooter is further down...

Getting ready to go in for lunch, just milling around.

Mad Dog made it!!! Lookin' good! Gary sayin' hi!

That poor waitress was having a very trying day... on the left with the blue T shirt, she was a sweetheart tho... and did a great job.

Here is ALR District 13 table, Mad Dog back to us...

I had a back up plan if I had problems!! GBG But then I ride a Vulcan... ducking and running!!!

The lady with the pink shirt, was part of the Dalton Gang! GBG She's the sister of the infamous Bob and Dan Dalton, Wiserguy and Garlic Indian, Dan was with us when we were in the Gilroy Memorial Day Parade and we won Best of Show!!! How about that!!!!!???

http://pgrblogseries2009.blogspot.com/2010/05/pgr-gilroy-memorial-day-parade-10.html

Here is a pic of David (Scooter) Bolten on the left and I hope I've not misspelled many names, sigh... I met him in one of my first PGR rides too, Trouble, Scooter and Mad Dog were a bunch of runners for PGR missions, no way could I keep up...

From my ride log, 04/01/06 PGR-Scooter Turlock, Ca 222 miles, 5 hours, 66 bikes showed. Thank you for what you do and did! Lots of miles.... And I have more Scooter entries for RC....

ALR District 13 table having a visit...

Just to prove we were there.

Lotsa machines out there, some great lookin' bikes and lotsa Indians.

Lori got a pic of Stinger, Bruce and the Cranky dude... I ate one whole sandwich and look fat, what's wrong with that???????!!!!!!! Had to be the lighting... Well, I got back home and cranked 14 miles and a good hill in some heat, and hope I atoned a bit... sigh...

When we passed this vista point, we'd all seen it, but as we were passing by, Al and the Dalton Gang were there so we tooted 'um up and kept going. I had to stop to take some pics for the blog, Stinger was with me... Sorry Larry, I think it's a good 'nic... and the fact that I turn 67 Tuesday and you're 10 years older... well, something worked for you!

My el' Cheapo can't do it justice...

I was worried I couldn't make the run, and am damn glad I did!!! Great weather, folks, food, scenery, ride... and Stinger got to follow my car tire down 9, Tell 'um what you thought about following a car tire.... I'll update my blog.... it falls into a turn with a quickness and being a radial... is deceptively smooth...

http://dadfunrides.blogspot.com/2010/03/darkside-here-i-come.html

ALR - Livermore VA BBQ '10

2010-05-01T19:15:00.001-07:00

Pics are from top to bottom, text for a pic is under a pic, click on a pic for a larger pic

ALR has done a BBQ for the Vets at Livermore VA Hospital for the last 3 years and I've made them all... The first one hurt a bit as I was just gettin' off a accident happening but it is nice to visit with them.. My health care is the VA and maybe you will see me some time! Be nice, 'cause I'll be Cranky!!! GBG

Just arriving and a group came in behind me. I got there about 1045.. and told folks that "second shift" had arrived! The rest were just toooo early for this ol' fart!

Sweet Ruby front and center showin' off her new flag holder!

Blog about gettin' a hitch for my git'along! GBG http://tinyurl.com/347ves9

We had lotsa folks! Very good turnout! Thank all that showed up, and thanks to Bruce and Lori for herding the group, and Bunker and Mad Dog for their efforts!

Took some shots while I was eating...

Mad Dog "covered us"! GBG brought in some shade! Really helped! Lots of folks visiting together and with the Vets. This is the first of this months weekly BBQ's, they have one planned for every week end. Outstanding! The Vets deserve it and they appreciated it also!

There were a couple speeches and a old timer was honored and he was very appreciative! God Bless him and thank your for your service. On one of my trips thru the hospital, I visited with a gent, he joined the military in '42, a year before I was born! And he was sharp as a tack, nice visit with him. I'm 67.. just to date the gent.....

This is Jack. I played his bingo cards. I don't know how, but I played his cards last year too! OK, Lady Luck was better this time! He won -3- bingo's!!!! He was VERY happy, and so was I.

I have a link to a face book pic of me holding a winning bingo card for Jack. He was VERY pleased! http://tinyurl.com/2v7dtxe

Great day with great folks. God Bless 'um and may they live long and comfortable.

ALR - Easter Baskets for Dos Palos

2010-04-03T16:38:00.001-07:00

Pics are from top to bottom, click on a pic for a larger pic, text for a pic is under the pic.

Our new ALR Dist 13 President inherited an event that turned out to be an annual one, Easter Baskets for Dos Palos!!! He spent some time there and knows the town and wants to support it. The event is scheduled for the Saturday before Easter. So next year get some Easter Baskets and come on out!

I didn't do a bike count, but we had at least 5 cages and I'm guessing 60 scoots! Real nice turn out! Thanks to all that rode / showed up! And it took some character, it was very cold in the early hours!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A later posted update from Al Mad Dog Cook, our new VP. Thanks Al!! Please note the vehicle count was MUCH higher than I estimated!

All,

What a Great Day! Did I mention that it was a Great Day! If you were not there, you missed the smiles on a lot of kids faces (and their parents faces also)! The ability to give was awesome!

First of all; round of applause to our ALR District 13 President, Bunker, for coordinating this event with Post 564, the Dos Palos Police, other ALR Districts that participated; other groups such as CROSS that participated and several unaffiliated individual riders who showed up in support. (the Dos Palos Mayor, Police Chief, Officers and Dispatch were very appreciative - since this goes a long way to help them locally extend their 'good will' to the local population).

Also, thank you all for praying for good weather, because the good Lord smiled on us and gave us a dry day and kept us all safe on our trek.

All told - (at the Rally Point near Dos Palos) about 90 motorcycles, 7 or 8 Trucks and Cars packed with Baskets!

Bad News - none really. As far as I know, no accidents or unfortunate mishaps, great weather, even greater fellowship and joy.

Not So Bad News - we will work this harder in preparation for next year. This is a District 13 mission, and we will get the communications out early for next year.

On the Objective: We were overwhelmed by the needs of the community and the families that showed up. As it turned out, we were about 1/4 short of the total 'Easter Basket Gifts' that were needed. A collection of several hundred dollars, from the riding participants was collected, and Bill and other 'hard core' members of Post 564 took off in different directions and different trucks and cars on an emergency Easter Basket resupply mission to the area Target and Walmart stores to make up the difference. We all bit our nails at the long line of anxious children as we awaited their return with more Easter Baskets. Then they came back, one vehicle at a time with everyone rushing the new Easter Baskets into the building from the side door.

Mission Accomplished!

Personally, I would like to add that it was a pleasure to observe the unselfish participation of each and every one of you who got out there and put it on the line to show who WE are and what we represent. This is especially important since many that we served during the event are either new to the USA or are 1st generation and it is events like this that enforce what WE stand for.

Semper Fi,
ALRDOC District 13 Vice President
Al Cook
Mad Dog (because of my 'ever so pleasant' disposition.............sometimes...................;-)

Note (1) - Please update your email address book to use this email address for me (Al Cook) mad_dog@legion-riders.com as I will shift all of the Post and ALR business to this address to manage it properly. You can always get me at my other yahoo email address or NASA email address if needed.

Note (2) - Please send your photos of this event to Bunker.
(unreduced size to http://www.legion-riders.com/upload.html Cranky)

Note (3) - We are currently working on improving the District 13 web presence and will post pictures sent, in the near future.

From Cranky's Blog - which I think most of you already got an email from him on.
http://alrblogseries.blogspot.com/2010/04/alr-easter-baskets-for-dos-palos.html

Another late post, Chappi's Phanfare link:

http://albums.phanfare.com/slideshow.aspx?s=1&u=7702834&a_id=4626168&s_id=5106262&g_id=2958860

---- end of update -----------

I'm just shooting some shots at the staging point, Bunker in blue in the center left.

More scoots...

My good friend on the left, Tom H.

Gene B in the center left facing me from Dist 28 and they had many riders here!

3 more Dist 13 riders coming in. Mike A, Gary and Sandy R.

Bunker about to have his say-once and Chappie to give us some good words.

Scoots and cages behind me,

....and more in front. The Dos Palos police have arrived, two cars and a scoot to escort us into town and run us around the city for a bit of noise making!

Pulling into the block in front of the Police and Fire stations, everyone looking for a spot to park.

My sweet Ruby front right.

Lori and Bruce P.unloading their pink bunny! More Dist 13 riders.

Gary R. taking in his goodies.

This is the line waiting in front for their goodies.

Baskets....

Lots of baskets! Bunker and a few collected a few hundred dollars and went basket shopping in Los Banos because we ran out! I'm sure some kids were sad, it's a shame... Tom and Nancy E on the right with their POW/MIA patches.

The Police Station greeter! Looks like she liked her job! GBG (Great Big Grin)

Some of the guys posing with the kids.

Another shot, Bunker on the right in blue.

Here you can see the line going down the street.... this is why we ran out!

Nice doggy! Police dog!

This little guy wanted to sit on all the scoots! I gave mom my card, she'll email me and I'll send her the pics, both print and view size.

Any he could sit on! He had a hard name to remember.... Bill, but I managed... it's my name too! GBG

A great run, Bunker, put in for warmer weather next year! And we might have to establish a fund and do a group buy of 150 baskets! Buy in volume and get a grunch at cheaper prices!

From Dist 13 we had Bunker our new President, Maddog new VP (and thank you both for stepping forward!) , Gary and Sandy R, Bruce and Lori P, Larry L, Mike A, 'course the Cranky dude... and great supporters that ride many missions with us, Tom and Nancy E.

ALR - All American BBQ Fund Raiser

2010-03-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

Pics are from top to bottom, click on a pic for a larger pic, text for a pic is under the pic.

Added my link to the 19 mile cranky ride after the event to work it off!!!
http://dadfunrides.blogspot.com/2010/03/san-jose-arc-bernal-19-mi-loop.html

Well the Blue Star Moms were having a fund raiser at the Fremont Vets Hall and I was kinda on the fence... 'til I got a note from Audie, one of our fellow ALR District 13 riders that said, I'll be at the post with a KSU 1100.

Well, I was a bit "tardy" getting the message out to our distribution list and thought I'd better show up (I HAD to get out!!! It was a great day!), didn't want him to be alone! GBG OK, not to worry! We had 5 scoots with two 2-ups for 7 folks! Darn nice showing, thank all that rode!

So we meet at 564... kinda interesting, as I was pulling up to the Walsh turn-left, there was Audie and Cheryl at the light! And Knobby pulled up behind us! Great timing! Audie, George, Cheryl, Knobby, Sandy and Gary, L to R.

Hey, we got 5 scoots!

Safe and uneventful trip with Audie leading us and I was sweep / tail gunner. Sweet Ruby (with a car tire!!! GBG), Gary's and Audie's scoots. F to B

George and Knobby scoots.

OK, we were not the first, I met Roy C and Eric D coming out after they had eaten...

Nice looking place! Alameda Veteran's Memorial in Fremont.

Rich M and James Brown. The cooker man! Doing a great job, thank you for doing this! Great burgers. Rich was guarding the food, of course... ahem...

Going in!

God Bless family and friends of our fallen.

Sgtmaj's grandson.

Mike, Suzie A and Gabby. Mike was kicking himself, his scoot was in for maintenance and it was a gorgeous day!

This was a true camera test, Tom H and Rich M... if it can survive this.. GBG Great folks!

First Sr moment... Hate loosing my mind.. , on the left, he was going down the road and the infamous, I didn't see you.., car turned left in front of him, and yes, he took a nasty. But he's coming back and recovering quite well! God Bless Ya, and looking great!

Knobbly back to us (prospective ALR member! GBG), Audie, Cheryl, George, Sandy and Gary.

2cd Sr. moment, sigh, we were joined by a young lady across the table and her mom. They are both Army nurses and mom, on the left hit the beach at Omaha in 44. I was 1 year old, great on her! She looked great and active! I looked at the young ladies name tag to be sure I remembered it, and its.... its... sigh... And she was at our last ALR meeting, sigh... sigh... that's a double sigh.f I hate gettin' old...

Nancy E getting some food.

The gent on the left is Luis "Coach" Garcia, and he is running for Congress. He's a son of a vet and we talked a while and if I had a chance, I'd vote for him... I think he's running against Pete Stark, a long time insider, and I told him I want ALL state and fed old timers OUT! JM2C

It was a great day.... but, there always is.. I ate some "bad" stuff, tater salad, mac salad, chips, a brownie... so I took off early to catch a 19 mile loop that took me to a 675' climb in about 1.5 miles to work it off.. blog to follow!

ALR/PGR San Jose 2009 Vets Parade

2009-11-11T19:08:00.001-08:00

Pics are from top to bottom, click on a pic for a larger pic, text for a pic is under the pic.

San Jose Veterans Day Parade! Folks come down to see a parade, .. so why not go???!! I think they enjoy the scoots, and we honk and make noise! Guess we like it too!

And I got to see many friends, the best of the best!

So we staged at our lurking place on 1 st, I get there at 1000 and KSU was 1015... folks are firing off!! Headed down town! Didn't even get a pause for the cause!!

So we were pretty nice but the intersections were ours... once we own it, we take it so our line doesn't get broken up... not seen any folks not observe or respect it.

Nice and safe trip and that counts!

The guy on the left is Jim, he was walking around later and said, you don't have an American flag pin! And handed me one, and by golly, now I do! Thank you my friend!!!!

I'm trying to get the scoots in a pic and I can't, there had to be over 60 scoots there...

I like these scoots! They'll get you around town and I'll bet they're a lot of fun!

Hyster got to escort this young lady on a ride!

Now here is another young lady in front of a real nice ride! I won't guess as to the service.

Earl wanted to get into the pic.. Good on Ya! Thank you both for your service!

This is Jake's trailer with 11 flags, it looks great in a parade!

You like cleaning chrome? The entire bike is chrome!

Off we went!! OK, starting and stopping,..... part of the mission...

Tried a blind shot over the helmet, deleted the first one of my helmet, sigh....

When we stopped I tried to take a pic or two...

Notice we are not moving... lot of that, 'course I wouldn't be taking a pic. otherwise.... but it gave us time.. under the overpass... to rack pipes and honk horns!!! Did I say I HAVE A 139 DB AIR HORN!!!!! I make NOISE!!!!!!! GBG

I love the fire trucks and their flag hanging.... I've gone thru a few, normally headed to a cemetery....... sigh May those serving NEVER have to pass under... God Bless ALL that served!!! Happy Vets Day!!!!!!!!!

Manny, one of our Dist 13 ALR Riders, he was down for a while, glad to see him riding again!

Just taking shots when I can....

We're getting into the meat of the parade and more folks.... this is where they do Christmas in the Park.

We're around the park area headed towards the grand stand...

Lots of folks, great to see them enjoying the day, and the weather was great!

Scoots and folks!

This had to be a school group... hope they had a great time, I did!!!

It's an honor to ride and remember our Vets! God Bless them and family and friends, past - present - future!

Thank ALL that rode today! God Bless - ride safe, rubber side down!

There were many groups today, many clubs, Thanks! I'd like to mention one... The Cross Ministries....... ride on Keith....

ALR PGR - Menlo Park VA Run

2009-11-08T19:13:00.001-08:00

Pics are from top to bottom, click on a pic for a larger pic, text for a pic is under the pic.

- Begin Amanda and Audie update notice. -- 01/17/10
Go down to the line below that says:
- Begin update from Amanda and Audie - THANK YOU!

to update ends! GREAT pics!!! Great run!
-- end of update ---

Audie works at the Menlo Park VA and arranged for ALR / PGR, and basically anyone riding a scoot to attend the annual car and scoot show. It was a great day all around!

We staged at 564 at the ungodly hour of something before 0800! GBG We had 8 scoots, and Mike and Suzy Ammons arrived in their 64 Ford Falcon pu hauling a couple scooters, pics later. We had two 2-ups for a total of 12, real nice showing for the Vets! Thank you all that attended.

Reese, George, Manny, Audie, Cheryl, Jake and I and I missed one and think it was Matt.

Waiting to take off... "someone" was LATE!!!! GBG

Well, look who finally woke up!!! GBG Jake coming in with a roar! He DID call tho....

So we arrive at our staging place, scouted rest rooms and watched all the great looking cars coming in.

Mike and Suzy's scoots, they were a hoot! Nice in town run abouts!

Cheryl was passing out sweet treats, I managed to resist, no place to store that kinda stuff!

The POW/MIA 'vet showed up! It is VERY WELL decorated!

Mike and Suzy had to go stage their scoots and rode them back. Guess they will run around 40 mph or so, great little run about for in town.... I'd think they make a good local commute scoot also.

A close up.....

Another group of scoots came in and joined up. Rolling Thunder from San Jose, I don't think I've seen them before, I'll keep my eye out for them in the future.

Well, as Audie works there, he knows all the folks and layout. He arranged for 4 scoots to go inside the lock down where folks are receiving meds and need a bit of isolation.

I never drove inside before! GBG We went thru a double set of doors and a corridor to a patio.

----------------- Begin update from Amanda and Audie - THANK YOU! -----------------------------

Sgtmaj was there with his grandson, he was a hoot! Great kid! Think Gran'paw is proud!!! GBG And off to lockdown....

Riding up the sidewalk to the doors... We had to go thru two and a hallway, never rode inside before!

Audie doing a state trooper dismount, he had to help the staff get the double doors open on both side of the hallways.

Waiting for Audie to break the doors open, So we could ride into the patio.

Audie made it!!!

Jake made it!

Reese made it!!!

One struggler... GBG

This guy came out dressed for the visit and was great!

I think the staff got as much of a kick out of this as the patients! I know Amanda was just pleased as punch, she did great! Thank you!

More staff shots... on Reese's scoot...

A staff member on Audie's scoot.

OK, this guy was special, I spent a lot of time with him and he was called the Professor, and he really is, has multiple high level degrees and runs a music class and lives about two mile from me! He really wanted to get a scoot. Hope he gets well and does it!

He wanted to try on my helmet, call it done!

The cranky dude, Reese and Jake with a couple patients.. (actually, I was afraid they wouldn't let me out!!! GBG)

Reese, myself and Jake with a patient on Jake's scoot.

Well, they were lined up to sit on Jake's scoot! And it IS gorgeous and has a great set of glasspaks!

Well the Professor wanted a pic on my sweet Ruby, how could I say no? GBG

Well, it was line up for Ruby time!

Back to Jake's scoot, I have to tell you, these folks were absolutely tickled we came to visit them! The staff mentioned that it is unusual for ALL of them to come out, and they did! I think the staff got a hoot out of it too!

That looks like a biker grin to me!

The grins just keep comin'!

Jake's scoot was very popular!

Another patient saying VAROOM!!! in his mind! Right on!

This lady was a WW II nurse! God Bless her!!! Thank you for visiting with us!!!

Reese get's another pic...

Reese had a great looking scoot.

The Professor wanted to try my helmet out.. why not!

I think he had a sweet spot for Ruby!

Amanda took this pic of us leaving. It was a great visit!

----- End of Amanda and Audie update ---------

Audie, Jake, Reese and I went inside and I have to tell you, it was a fantastic visit! They really enjoyed our being there and they loved the scoots!

Jake in front of his scoot, and the young lady that was our escort, IIRC, her name was Amanda.

Audie's scoot, Cheryl taking some pics....

Reese and his scoot behind him..... BTW, getting our scoots staged inside and getting around was just a tad bit dicey! We got 'er done tho.....

And of course, the star of the show!!! GBG Hey, it's MY blog! Ruby!!!!!

Now here is something extra special, Amanda took pics of those that wanted to sit on our scoots and we lined up behind them, I think every of of the patients got their pic taken.... I heard that Amanda is going to do a slide show and send it out, and I want those pics!

We were told not to take pics of the patients, but it was OK for the VA, so we'll have to wait for Amanda's pics....

The looks on their faces as they sit on the scoots was precious!! One, called Professor, wanted my helmet on, as he sat on Ruby, helmet face down and up, He said he's going to get a scoot when he gets better. I told him to be sure and take the MSC!

After the lock down visit, we made a bunch of noise and went to our final staging point. Cheryl and I scouted out the rest rooms... walked thru a gym and that table was all the gifts that were to be given to the Vets.

Everyone was given tickets when we arrived, we were to talk to the Vets and get their name and bldg number, write it on one half and give the other half to the vet so they could win something during the drawing. It also gave us a great reason to talk to them and get them to talk to us.

We staged here, note the sidewalk and curb.... getting out of there was a challenge! But all made it, we didn't leave any skeletons! GBG

Another set of scoots......

...more....

Wheel chair accessible with hand controls... real nice!

Well looky here!!! A young man with a vest!!! First thing he said to Reese and I was "I'm Sgtmaj's grandson!!!" Reese was gonna tease him and ask what was a sgtmaj?? But he was so bubbly, he didn't....

I've always dreamed of owning this car, GTO, 65 IIRC, and it was gorgeous!

Did I say gorgeous??? Wow!

I had to take this for my wife, we go to an old time theme restaurant, they have a profile of this car on the wall, same colors.

Waiting for hamburgers, and they were good! Quite a spread! I think the drivers and riders out numbered the Vets! Way to go! Thanks to all that attended!

Interesting Vet, notice the side door pointing up.....

This old early 60s Thunderbird was just sparkling!

A Navy PT Cruiser well done!!!!

Look at all the decorations in the back, and the trailer was nice too!

The whole day was great, and I'm still super pleased for the time that Audie, Jake, Reese and I were able to visit with our special Vets! It was a great interaction!

Thanks again Audie for making arrangements to get ALR District 13 into this event!

I have to post this... I spent a lot of time with two gents, for those there, remember the guy that I put my helmet on and he had some pics sitting on Ruby? He wrote his info out and gave it to me, I just got around to reading it:

Prof, Dr ........, MD, PHD, MBA, and runs the ........ School of Music. Pretty darn impressive! And the coincidence is that he lives two miles from my house!

The event broke up after lunch, so Reese and I dug ourselves out of the gravel pit and headed out. I got home in time to crank 16 miles and work off some of that lunch!

This was my second day in a row of big lunches, and needed the cranking!

ALR - Car show to help the Vets 07 12 09

2009-07-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

Pics are from top to bottom, click on a pic for a larger pic, what little text is under the pic...

Audie knew about these folks trying to help the Vets and posted a message.. a couple of us decided to ride with him up to and just over the hill on 17 and do a visit. This is in connection with his new job at the VA Hospital, and it turns out I know the guy that put on the event, Hi or Smoky his 'nic.

He is the brother in law of the guy in Los Gatos with dementia that was lost and found in a creek, you might have read about it in the paper. He was passing out flayers trying to find him while he was lost!

Audie will put out a note later about a ride up to the VA Hospital in November. They'd like us to take some bikes up and entertain the folks, sounds like a great ride for ALR!

We met at 564, Audie, Cheryl, Slick John and I... I let them ogle my new sweet Ruby!!! GBG Notice that Cheryl is in the drivers seat! OK, she was sitting back but I like the drivers license holder... it says SHHHHH, He thinks it's his! I like that!

We get to the place and the timing was perfect! 17 was just starting to clog as we turned off!

I want you all to know, you missed a gem! This place is just great! The restaurant just reopened, I think, and the folks are fantastic! Very gracious service! And when I heard that the BBQ was done... OK, I errored... I did NOT take my PB+J sandwich that I normally carry...

The burger I got was very large, and all the toppings and potato salad for 5 bucks! And it was just great!

This is for my wife! NO I did NOT leave the potato salad alone!!!! GBG

Caught a pic of Audie by a vintage car.

My new to me sweet Ruby II, Hench to be known as Ruby!

This is Smokey's wife, Audie, Smoky, Cheryl and Slick John.

Later I went out back..... they have a patio to drool over!

A nice waterfall spraying!

Lots of outside seating... I know I took a pic over by the edge of the patio out over the hills, but I guess I didn't hit the shutter button... A very nice place! The weather was gorgeous, this would be a GREAT place to come when the weather is good!

This car won my vote, as I loved the Duke's of Hazard! GBG

Real nice and the speedo went to 150 and I'll bet it would do it!

The rest of the cars are in the pics below... one of the motor was a 427 in Cobra.. That thing will do 0-60 in 3.3 sec.. that will sit you back in your seat!

I wanted to show all the cars, they were all great! I liked the old 53 Merc! That was Slick John's fave, he used to cruse in one!

Thank you Audie for a great day! It was a real treat! I ate one of them burgers and got back in time to finish off my weekly 100 miles with a 16 mile crank! It was a very nice day!

Folks, you missed a great short ride! Cranky

One of the two Delorians (sp possibly)

#2

This is the 427 in the Cobra

ALR - Reid Hillview AP Day

2009-06-27T17:21:00.001-07:00

Pics are from top to bottom, click on a pic for a larger pic, text for a pic is under the pic.

Dave Edwards is a new member in ALR and told us about Reid Hillview Day and we decided to put up a display. Blue Star Moms, POW/MIA, PGR and American Legion / American Legion Riders decided to attend.

It was a hot event! Over 100 deg, but the event was hot too! So I rushed over first thing in the morning and got there about noon, my day is a bit slower than most folks! GBG

We had our own area to park the scoots and show flags on the "strip".

A pic of Nancy E taking a pic of Tom E and Slick John.

A bunch of old cars were there, we'll be back later...

They had a toy airplane and the kids loved it!

Gary and Sandy R.

BigJake showed up in his placid T shirt.

This is the "infamous" flying lawn mower.... warming up with some grass... The darn thing flew! And it did a great job! Amazing!!

Pic of some models...

The helicopter put on a nice show earlier...

Some of the models....

Apparently this one had a gazillion leds in it....

Back to the cars....

And of course, some scoot is splitting lanes... GBG

This model was amazing, it had enough power that it could stand on it's prop! It did amazing flips and tricks! It put out a smoke trail for effect.

Dave in the middle that got us to Reid Hillview also brought..... ahem.... the Oakland Raider one and only, Raiderettes! A beautiful addition to the day! GBG

Boats got a gift! It looks a bit small... it's for his young'un! A PGR T shirt!

Stars of the day!

OK, we have to do pics of the Raiderettes! Ol' Cranky dude on the left gettin' a squeeze! Yeah there were others there too! GBG Lets see, there was the Cranky dude.. gorgeous, I know this guy but the name slips my mind - someone remind me and I'll update the blog, gorgeous, Panak, Don N, Dave in front, gorgeous, Rich M, in the back, Sgtmaj, Gary in front, Slick John, Steve and gorgeous... There was a theme to my naming! GBG

Sgtmaj got a group hug.

Reece C taking off, his 12 year old boy flew a blue jet, forget the kind, but it was a great job! Tell your boy he really flew his stuff! Nancy E talking......

One of the old cars taking off...

So the grand prize was a flight in an airplane. This is a zippy one! Nancy E said I'll go!!! Then she got to thinking about it, of course some help was offered by her "friends"... flips, rolls, here take this plastic bag... GBG

She bravely said, I'm going to do this!

Here we are checking the oil... I told the pilot, they call her the screamer! GBG We had a lot of fun with 'er! The pilot was not sure about something so I didn't stick around for the panic takeoff, and headed out... it was over 100 on the flight line..... Hot day! Thanks! Dave! Great time!

ALR Dist 13 - Oak Hill Memorial Day 09

2009-05-25T18:23:00.000-07:00

Pics are from top to bottom, text for a pic is under the pic, click on a pic for a larger pic..

American Legion Post 564 had the honor to put up flags at Oak Hill and the Vet service was at 1100. I rode in and the place was packed! Cars everywhere. Of course flying a PGR banner and a 3x5 flag, I got preference! GBG

Didn't know what was going on so stopped at the entrance and asked if any scoots came in, looking for a group... not much comment, on the way back to my ride Slick John pulled in behind me.

We broke all the rules and rode in to a good parking spot.

I was just shooting shots... flags everywhere.

Flags everywhere you looked!

Got a shot of the honor guard before their work.

Many groups were lined up for the event, caught a bit of John on the right.

Another group....

The main path to the podium.

I tried to get the pipers one their way... in the middle;..

This is the event path to the podium.

I took this pic for all the Gold Star Moms. That it is their wreath.

I decided to scoot before it became difficult... so I took a pic of Slick John! Thanks for being there!

Shot some pics on the way out...

The pipers on stand by...

There was a flag line with no folks.. leading to the back of the podium... looked like a good shot! Great event! We had 2 Dist 13 ALR patches at the event!

And I really want to thank all that put in the time to put up the flags! God Bless you! I don't do anything at 0600...er other than the potty thing.. us old folks 'ya know! GBG

AL Post 564 Did a great job! Jake said there were a lot of folks to help putting up the flags and it went smooth. Thank every one of you for helping out and making this a very nicely decorated event!

ALR - Livermore VA Hospitgal BBQ 05 09

2009-05-16T19:01:00.001-07:00

Pics are from top to bottom, click on a pic for a larger pic, text for a pic is under the pic..

ALR cooked up a great BBQ for the Livermore VA Hospital Vets and it was a great thing and great day! We had District 9, 10, 13 and 28 did a great job, good on Ya!

The weather was a tad on the warmish side.. but worked out fine... Dist 13 staged at 564 and took off about 1000 and a good showing. We had 7 bikes, and two 2-ups... we did have a "non-rider.. ahem", Jake and his boy! I have the feeling Jake will be back on his scoot soon! He looks like he has that "I want to ride" glint in his eye!

As we take off.... I noticed Ed had cleaned his scoot, looking good!

Heading out to he bikes... Audie and Cheryl and Mike "Noisy Kid" in the back...

We arrived and well we parked where we could... lots of bikes...

More...

... duh... GBG

Here's that Noisy Kid again.. pic taken by Cranky! Guess we get along! GBG

Here's Spike saying "Go Army!!!!!" GBSEG

Nice display of flags...

Just some pics... ALR folks talking to and serving the Vets....

Rich coming over to say HI!!!!!!!!

Another happy Vet! Smile on his face! That's what it's all about! God Bless 'um!

The police were even there to celebrate! ....er was that to make sure we stayed in line... GBG

Now here is our hard charging leader!!! GBSEG!!!! Scoping out his plan of action! Sorry Jake I couldn't resist!!!! Hey, you carry the camera, you tell the story!!!!

This is where the root beer floats were being made and folks were carrying them to the Vets. I helped one of them and he wanted real root beer... well, it was all diet, think they were worried about the patients, and too much sugar.. I told him so so he took second best.. Well the ice cream went fast and he said "can I have more????!!!" Heck Ya!! Got him 2 more scoops... He was one happy camper! He thought about seconds..... but he said... I don't think I should..

The serving staff and I think "someone" was making sure the food was still good!!! GBG They did an outstanding job! God Bless 'um for the work they did!

Here's the Root Beer Float Team again!! That lady in the middle had a wicked right hook! She was slapping ice cream a mile a minute!!! Good on Ya!!!!

So I went into the hall were the bingo was going on and Rich's boy was helping out...

I got to help out a Vet for a few games, think he enjoyed it, unfortunately,.... my luck did rub off on him.. but there were a few smiles!

They have a great set up there...

Well, the pics were being taken... why not! GBG

It was a great day and I hope all the Vets enjoyed it as much as I did! God Bless 'um all and may they live well and comfortable. They most certainly deserve it!

I want to personally thank District 28 for all their support! Thank YOU for this great event!

ALR - Dos Palos, Ca Easter Charity run

2009-04-20T19:26:00.001-07:00

Pics are from top to bottom, click on a pic for a larger pic, text for a pic is under the pic...

I received a message from my friend and ALR member, Bill (Bunker) Roller that there was a mission out in Dos Palos, Ca (Translation: two sticks, per my wife) and ALR was to stand in for a group that couldn't make a commitment to deliver Easter Baskets to the police dept.

Now that sounded to me like something that was worth a ride! And I've never been there before and that is always a plus, I love new places! And the weather was fair, except the early am... bit on the chili side!

This was a one day notice and that made it even more important, ALR was to show up and look good!

ALR did a great job! 27 bikes showed up!! Fantastic!!! I thank all that rode!

I like to take pics of bikes, as I ride PGR missions and not allowed to take those pics, so bikes and folks that attend are my focus I do it to thank them and show respect for what they do.

The other side of the bikes.

The Dos Palos Police Dept escorted us into town, yeah, we broke all the laws and then we staged at this parking lot.

When we left the parking lot, we ran all the stop signs and thru town with the police leading us with flashers on!

They took us around the "target area" twice, circling the blocks and we were.... well... making noise! A lot of folks knew we were there! The second trip was to make sure! I like their style!

We finally parked our bikes and the unloading began... there were tables of candy... Bunker's wife is on the left, she had a hard time warming up after the cool ride here...

Tables of Easter baskets, what you see is a small portion... the entire floor in front of the desks, all the desk counter and the area behind the desks were full...

A little better shot...

The police blocked off the entire street... and they even let us park in the red zone! GBG

Goldie flying 'er flag...

This pic is precious! The little girl was frightened of the Easter bunny and the package and wanted no part of it!

She finally warmed up.. ( they all do... GBG)

The line was long and they still had more to give out,.

Here's Easter bunny giving out a package. They actually had to get folks to come in to get the rest, there was so much! It was heart warming to see children receiving the gifts.

Remember when you were a kid? The hunt, the sugar high? One day a year, and it looked like fun!

And then the reward for good work! The police dept opened up the "lunch room"!!! Roast, potato salad, mac salad, chili, pizza, drinks... they did GOOD!

I think I speak for all ALR that rode, thank you Dos Palos for the invite and welcome! It was a pleasure and an honor! God Bless!