Ride and Have Fun...Yes We Do!

Wishing for a perfect day


It might never come

The morning air is cool

So grab the heated gear

What could be better

Than riding on the Harley

Watching tractors plowing fields

New born calves and foals

Tulips and daffodils

Rivers running full

And spring green everywhere

Wishing for the perfect day

Today is pretty close


Sunday we met up with a group of friends in Alger to ride and have fun…which we do really well. Dave & Jan, Rob & Kaye, Dave & Dawn, Larry & me. Some of the others had previous commitments or couldn’t get away until later in the day. We gassed up at the Shell station in Alger and while we were waiting, Martha & Glenn rode by, but we were parked out of their line of vision so we couldn’t wave them down.

Gassed up and ready to ride, we headed off to Concrete to Eagles in Flight owned by Rob Tygret. The sun was out but still a little cool so I kept my heated liner and gloves plugged in. There wasn’t much traffic going east on a Sunday morning which made for a nice ride.

We pulled in to find a much different Eagles in Flight than when we visited several weeks ago. Everything has been cleaned and polished, several custom bikes on the floor for sale, and t-shirts hanging from the racks. Next week the ice cream case will be stocked and the coffee machine installed. Just in time since the pass to Winthrop has opened and I am sure there will be lots of bikers stopping to and from.

We headed south to Darrington for lunch at the Glacier Peak Café. Darrington has a population of about 1,500 and located at the western base of the Cascade Mountains and is a favorite destination for a lunch ride. We helped rearrange the tables as the staff was a little short handed and then settled back to wait for the food and catch up on what everyone had been doing during the past few weeks. (The onset of rain during the last several weekends cut into our riding time.) Dave J. tried to order pie for dessert but it seems they had a run on pie the night before and didn’t have any pie in the restaurant.

We hit the road headed to Arlington, highway 9, where Kaye and Rob turned off headed to the freeway while the rest of us continued on to Big Lake and stopped at the little store at the roundabout. Cold drinks and a little chocolate for dessert and we were on our way home. Dave & Dawn, Dave & Jan peeled off in Sedro Woolley while Larry and I continued on towards home on highway 9. It was a great day spent riding with friends and I can’t wait to go again.

More Bike Blessing Pictures

Mt. Baker HOG Chapter Bike Blessing

Saturday April 24th, 2010


Today was the 10th annual Mt. Baker Chapter HOG (Harley Owners Group) bike blessing. Chapter Chaplain and former Cornwall pastor Fred Moore led our first bike blessing in 2001.

We woke up today to dark clouds with a really good chance of rain. Larry spent Thursday afternoon washing and shinning the trike so it would look good today. Looks like there will be another bath for the bike next week.

Brian Christie led the bike blessing today with Brother Paul Westby of the Rushing Wind Biker Church in Anacortes and associate pastor Ken Linse with Rushing Wind Biker Church North Bellingham.

The HOG members and guest met at Mt. Baker Harley-Davidson for coffee and donuts before departing at 10:45 AM for the Zuanich Point Park at the waterfront for the official blessing. It was a great place for the blessing with plenty of parking for the bikes and the statue at the park reads “Safe Return” which was fitting for the blessing of the bikes.

Brother Paul opened with a short prayer, read from Luke 6:27-38 then closed in a prayer to bless the bikers, their bikes, and a safe riding season.

Those attending the bike blessing were: Dave Lahr, Jan McDaniels, Dave & Dawn Johnson, Dave & Lorie McNeill, Ron Johnson, Lorri Gillis, Brian Christie, Paul & Jeanny Westby, Ken Linse, Rob & Kaye Hansen, Mike & Jeannie Gilbert, Mike & Dana Snyder, Art Anderson, Larry & Billie Marrs.

So the lunch ride that was planned by Brian Christie, Ron Johnson as the sweep and Larry Marrs as the road captain had a change of plans when it began to rain. We were going to ride to Sumas to El Nopal restaurant but that was at least an hour away, and two hours riding in the rain to and fro did not appeal to anyone. Lucky for us that El Nopal has another restaurant in Ferndale so we headed out Marine Drive thinking we might take the route along the water and see an eagle but the weather was not going to hold so we turned at Ferndale Road and cut across Slater Road to Ferndale. So far so good, we stayed off the main streets, across the railroad tracks to Portal Way. It was the home stretch and then we say the sign, “motorcycles, extreme caution, bump”. Bump? The sign should have said potholes, lots of potholes and they were filled with dirty, muddy water. On a trike you can’t really avoid the dips, puddle, holes, or bumps with three tires you are going to hit something.

I started to point out the potholes on one side of the bike to those behind us, then the other side, and then I gave up. It was a mine field and there was no turning back. Two hundred yards or so might not seem far in a cage, but on a bike it is like time stands still.

Safely in the restaurant parking lot where everyone could dismount and look at their muddy bikes, muddy leathers, and breathe with a sigh of relief. Every agreed that we would not go back the same direction on our way home.

Larry had called ahead to cancel the first reservation in Sumas and let the Ferndale restaurant know that we were coming and how many there were. We settle in with chips and salsa and do what we do best….enjoy spending time with friends over a meal.

It was a great day even with the rain, the potholes, and the mud. We had been blessed and this was our first test and we all passed. Hallelujah!

Winter Riding:

Our HOG chapter--Mt Baker HOG, sponsored by Mt Baker Harley-Davidson in Bellingham, WA--conducted a Winter Mileage Challenge from Dec. 5th to Mar. 27th. The idea was to encourage chapter members to get out and ride as much as possible during months when we have what is usually less than pleasant weather. An entry fee of $10 is split between our chapter scholarship fund and the rider who logged the most miles during the challenge period. For the past three years, Mark Williams has won with his ever amazing persistance at getting out, even in sloppy weather. This year I entered our Tri Glide and logged 1587 winter miles, due in large part to the very mild winter we have had, and to my new heated riding gear. My mileage placed me right in the middle of the pack (seventh) which ranged from 0 miles to Mark's 4,352 miles. Our friend and fellow HOG member, Harmon Woodworth, joined the competiton late with his new Tri Glide and still logged 965 miles placing him nineth overall.

Now, of course our weather is looking more like winter than spring but we still try to putt around the area in between storms.

Jerry....another way of looking at it

Shirley and I just happened to stop at the same time as the Can Am and the owner was so proud of it he insisted I hop on. Of course, it took a LOT of encouragement. We can’t remember for sure where it was licensed as we were too busy admiring the trike! He was a little guy and said he was 70 years of age and thoroughly enjoying it! We watched him slide it into reverse as he backed out of the parking spot and then ride off into the sunset. Great!!