Oyster Run 2012

Larry and I left the house about 7:15 AM to begin our journey to the Oyster Run in Anacortes.  The sun rising over Mt. Baker was a beautiful bright yellow and red due to the haze from the fires in Eastern Washington.  We met Dave, Brenda, Bob, and Patty at Sehome Starbucks and were ready to ride by 8:00 AM. 

We rode south on the back roads around Lake Samish, down old highway 99 also known as the Old Pacific Highway, through Alger, and wound our way on country roads to highway 20.  Slowly we were joined on the journey west by hundreds of other bikers.  It only took about an hour to arrive in Anacortes and the parking lots leading into town were full of bikers stopping for coffee, donuts, and fast food restaurants.  The main shopping district in town is blocked off to all traffic except bikes and a full crew of volunteers directed bikes to park on both sides of the street and down the middle of the street leaving a narrow lane in both directions for bikes to come and go.

We parked about four blocks from the start of the Oyster Run and looking west it was fairly empty.  We stowed our helmets and gear and were ready to explore the booths, check out the bikes, people watch, and snap a few photos.  The Christian Motorcycle Association was passing out cards with tiny beaded angels to use as bookmarks and Brenda and I each received one.

We ran into Rodney after the first block and he was with a Christian biker group shining shoes so we waited while Dave got his boots all pretty.   We checked out t-shirts, patches, gloves, played a roulette/spinner game from Silver Reef Casino and Larry and I both won ten dollar coupons good for any of the games at the Casino.  I found a really cute pair of black suede UGG style boots, but these had rhinestone cowgirl belts and buckles around each ankle.  I asked for a business card and found out they are from Lynden so I think I will call next week and go see about a pair of boots to call my own.

During the course of the day we saw Pam & Pat Ferry, Mike Lucas, Kathy & Brian Christie with one of their grandsons, Katie Marrs from Skagit, Joan & Rick White, Peter Day, Glen & Martha Hutchings Barbie Jackson, Angie Haynes, and on the way out of town we saw Darren & Audrey and Kathy & John Worthington just arriving in town.  Who am I missing…I am sure I missed a name…sorry…so much to see and remember, we missed you Dave and Dawn.

The Seattle Cossacks Motorcycle Stunt and Drill Team was scheduled to perform at 11:00 AM.  We finished the last few blocks and walked back up to the side street that was blocked off for the performance.  The Cossacks ride vintage Harley’s from the 30’s and 40’s and have been performing for over seventy years.  Russian cavalry members are called Cossacks and known all over the world for their masterful horsemanship, and bikes were often called "Iron Horses" in those days, and that is how the name "Seattle Cossacks" was coined.  They ride, they climb, they do stunts, drills, and acrobatic maneuvers and the crowd loves it by cheering and clapping.  They have even been featured on America’s Got Talent.   Today there were three prospective riders participating with the group.

We headed back up the street to find lunch.  Bob and Patty went in one direction, Dave and Larry headed for fish and chips, and Brenda and I took off for the Greek Gyro sandwiches.  They were so good but they were so messy.  I had chicken with salsa and it was worth the wait.  Sandwiches and cold drinks in hand we began to wandered back down the street to meet the guys when we ran into Monica & Dennis Erickson (Monica had Dennis corralled in the beer garden so she wouldn’t lose him--poor Dennis). 

I took a lot of photos of two and three wheel bikes, Harley’s, Hondas, custom, and a rat trike.  We even saw a Harley trike conversion with two wheels in the front like a Can Am but that is all there was in common with a Can AM.  This looked like drawings I saw of the Harley-Davidson patents for a trike that never made it to production, except Northwest Harley-Davidson posted a photo from the dealer show this year of such a proto type.    Every color bike you could image was in Anacortes.

We came, we saw, and now it was time to leave.  The crowds had grown and the now the sidewalks were crowded with people spilling into the streets and the whole street was filled with parked bikes and yet waves of new bikers were still arriving. 

It was painless to get out of town this year with only slightly longer than normal stop times at the lights leading us away from thousand of bikers not ready to give it up.  We turned off highway 20 heading towards Chuckanut Drive.

Right before we reached Edison we came to a “T” junction.  Heading north on Bayview Edison Rd. you stop to turn left, or a turn to the right that you must yield to traffic coming from Samish Island has the right of way, the traffic coming west on Bayview Edison Rd. must yield if they are turning left.  In the real world this is how it works, unless you are riding Japanese sport bikes and think you are indestructible and can do anything you want.  A group of about twelve or fifteen bikes decided not to slow for the 90 degree left turn or come to a complete stop because a car was coming east on Samish Island Rd.   The first seven or eight bikes in the group crossed the road into our single right turn lane, passing us to the left.  If it had not been a wide lane the consequences could have had a very different outlook.  The remaining Japanese bikers stopped and waited for an on-coming car--not to take the turn the legal way but to turn into our lane after we passed.  I guess getting to the destination any way you want is their only mindset instead of safety.

Dave and Brenda stopped in Fairhaven for gelato, Bob and Patty headed home to another engagement, and we rode through Bellingham and took the back way home.   We were home by three thirty with plenty of time for a cup of coffee and to read the Sunday paper—Larry decided that lawn mowing would wait another day.

Thank you Dave, Brenda, Bob, and Patty for a wonderful day spent riding with friends.