by Erick Mott
It's that time of year again. Summer coming to an end soon and one of the busiest American holiday seasons of the year. Except, I'm not going to sit at home in front of the tube like many past Labor Day weekends. Quite the opposite experience with an anticipated 2,000+ mile ride (and motorcycle seat) as my primary vantage point.
First up, starting Friday August 29th is the annual Range of Light Gypsy Tour with friends, family members and a lot of motorcycle enthusiasts that thrive on street riding and camping (see photo from last year) off the beaten path. The tour is about 1,200 miles and usually heads up into Northern California and Southern Oregon, with three nights of camping and four days of riding. The fun part is you don't know where you're headed the next day until your route sheet is provided the evening before. Event coordinators make it a nice experience too with good camping / facilities including meals, showers, electricity and usually more than 200 riders -- enough for great conversations, storytelling and a few parties along the way. Riders range in all ages, skill levels and motorcycle types; it's a NorCal BMW Club ride but guest like me with a Triumph 955 Sprint are always welcome.
Then on to the second leg of the ride. My father-n-law (Mark Norris), brother-n-law (Brent Synder) and some OMC friends will split off from the Range of Light Gypsy Tour (probably Sunday, 8/31) to ride to UT for the BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials at Bonneville Salt Flats. Long ride, yes, and well worth it for the adventure and to support my sister-n-law (Tracy Snyder), a very good street rider who is attempting to break a national land speed record [update, she did: story on CityBike] on her high performance Suzuki. Godspeed and good luck Tracy! Growing up around dirt bikes, I remember hearing about Bonneville and being completely amazed at how fast cars and motorcycles of all sorts were running at top speeds on the salt flats. The recent film, "The World's Fastest Indian" (Burt Monro story) staring Anthony Hopkins, helped to spread the word and understanding about the history, thrills and spills at Bonneville.
This will probably be the most incredible motorcycle week of my life, so far, with all things considered -- family, friends and plenty of adventure along the way. I'm bringing my new iPhone and plan to make posts on Twitter and this blog; connection and battery permitting. I won't be riding on the official Bonneville track that Tracy will compete on (I'll be there as a gate volunteer, pit crew member and spectator) but do hope to roll on the salt flats for a photo or two.
Yes, safety first and foremost and a nice break from the Silicon Valley race. It's amazing what two wheels, two side bags, a few close friends and family members, the outdoors, bad cell reception and time on the back roads can do for the soul.
