Member Mike Ofeish sends us this ride report:
Sunday April 2nd, 2011 was the Sawmill Enduro. Hosted by the North Bay M.C.. Phil Bowman, Mike Ofiesh, and David Peckham were greeted with a cool, clear morning and sunny skies. Rain, the week prior, filled the rivers and kept the dust to a minimum. A few days before, nearby, Benmore Creek was over 6 feet deep and not able to be crossed. The water level was dropping about two feet per day.

Most people would agree the Sawmill is the most challenging enduro in the series. It is located in the South Cow Mountain riding area. This is just fifteen minutes from Lakeport or Clear Lake. If you think North Cow Mountain is hard riding, the south area is a death march. One trail is loose, bowling ball boulders for several miles up a winding hill. Another is a narrow single track through brush so thick branches grab your chin bar on your helmet and pull your neck off. There is a trail with trees so close together your handlebars don’t fit and between the trees are slippery tree roots or rocks to catch your rear tire and pull you into the fires of Hell. It goes on for miles like this one after another. Then there is Benmore Creek which is so swift and so deep you can’t believe your bike is still running. After crossing it you go up steep and narrow switch backs with bumpy step like rocks. Then there is one rutted hill after another.

I never fell so many times in my life. You would have thought I was drunk. I fell about thirty times. I was so exhausted from picking my bike up I would just fall off my bike over the hillside or in the brush landing upside down and on my back. I would just collapse. I had a rough day. I honestly don’t know how I completed the course. Had I just ran a smoothe pace and not had to pick my bike up so much would have made things so much easier. I rode sloppy and wasted energy. My head was definately not on right that day.

Phil started on minute 55. I saw him messing with his brake. At mile 73 we had a gas stop and he was there. We got him some gas and he looked all happy and cheerful and said.”hey Mikey. let’s finish this together” Phil’s encouragement was a gift. We ripped. He was riding his new KTM 300 XC-W military issue secret weapon. He had brake problems and his front wheel was sticking. He still finished and rode like a true champion and world class rally star. Phil and I rode the remaining 11.4 miles together. He made it look easy. The course took us in and out of this deep river about 15 times. then down a narrow, rocky, tree rooted creek bed. Every turn had you looking across the river for the next arrow card. Where is it? where is the wet trail across the rocks? There it is! and a steep up hill out of each creek crossing. One after another for miles! Over and over again. Then through a narrow, densely wooded and dark tree section. Where is the finish line? Maybe there is no finish line. Maybe it just goes on………….There it is! Finally!

David Peckham, the man! the myth! When asked by Dirt Bike magazine in 2010, February, issue 23,What do you do to train for the enduros replied, “I ride a bicycle with some old dudes in the neighborhood.” In Austria Dave is know as “der Kleidenstadt” and feared by even the trees. He actually drinks coolant to lower his diastolic ATL and thereby making subzero temperatures seem warm. Dave’s ability to read trails for several hundred yards ahead give him light speed. Carrying grace and momentum under severe conditions allows him to be a threat to the competition. They say if Dave rode on the trails alone. you would never see a tire track. He is so smoothe and quiet, Yet he stalks you and hunts you down until he comes upon you and goes through you. You break into a drenching sweat when as he dives into the next turn. You feel violated, like a virgin, touched for the very first time. You feel your existence has expired. He makes your soul his bitch. Dave finished 10th in his class. He was always on time. He never fell. He was presented with an etched pint glass and a certificate (suitable for framing) of Coolness. And a pin for his lapel. We love you Dave. You are our big toe. You are number 1!

2 April, 2011

Today 11 members, 3 prospects, and 2 guest started their day in front of the SFMC clubhouse ready to ride to the Cheese Factory in Marin County. This would be a one tank ride at about 120 miles in total, which is just fine and dandy as the price of gas is continuing to inch its way well past $4.00 a gallon. Since the 1st 2rides of the season were critized for having way too many freeway miles we would be using alot of 2 lane roads to get to our final destination.

The route went something like this. Left the clubhouse and headed west to Valencia,waved to on-lookers at Munroe’s and Zeitgeist before crossing Market. Timed the hills over Franklin to catch the green lights and turned ontoLombard to cross the Golden Gate Bridge at the tempered speed of 45 mph. We really pissed off some guy on a BMW as we cut him off and he later dashed by us honking his horn and waving a fist. Across the bridge we took the 2nd exit and headed into the Marin Headlands to take photos of the bridge and ride thru thr 5 minute tunnel. Back to 101 and exit at Mill Valley where we would ride Hiway 1 up the coast as far as Tomales. Roads and scenery were excellent and only the occasional car/ truck/ RV/ tow truck would attempt to impeed our progress. There was a considerable wind blowing and it was decided to go inland to the Cheese Factory at this point.

The highlight of the ride had to be the last 10-15 miles as we traveled Tomales-Petaluma, Chileno Valley, and Hicks Valley Roads. These roads were absent of other vehicles and offered some nice sweeping curves with see to the horizon views. They had motorcycle written all over them.

Once at the Cheese Factory, we settled in for a nice lunch of deli sandwiches, cheeses, olives, and other goodies. Suggestion were bantered about for other places we might choose to ride to today, but the group decided the day was already a success and we should point our bikes towards the south to return home to the City. Chuck and Tegan would take their own route back home to Oakland as the rest of us headed back by way of Petaluma-Point Reyes, Nicasio Valley, Lucas Valley Roads and the International Orange Bridge.

A couple of drinks at the clubhouse and conversation about future rides finished out the day.

Oh, it should be noted that Leonard has made the last 2 rides, today on a Honda Hawk. Any of you with the slightest sense of self-respect should really get out of the house.

Luv, Papa

Saturday, March 26, 2011 Brunch at Hs’ Lordship

After spending 6 days in the saddle this ride was a piece of cake, and a omelet, and crab legs, and champagne . . . . you get the point.

We started the day at the clubhouse at 9:30am and lingered until a little past 10am until all the riders had assembled. In attendance at
the club were members Dave, Hoa, Brian, Kalle, Bruce, Sheree, and Papa. Prospects Caroline, Mole, and Ari were there as well as
Guest Jeff, Dennis, Marisa, and Lisa. 2 Future Mascots from the Bokman Family were also present.

At 10:05am the Group Shot was taken and a short, slightly soggy journey was made across the Bay Bridge to Berkeley. Nursing a near
bald rear tire and carrying a passenger I chose a slower than normal speed to cross the bridge. It was too much for Bruce to stand and he zipped
past and waited for us at the toll booth parking lot. Traffic was a little dicey, but the group stayed together well. We exited at University and trolled
thru Berkeley’s industrial west end before crossing over the freeway towards the Berkeley Marina. Upon arrival to Hs’ Lordship Parking Lot, we were
greeted by a large 40′ X 70′ puddle that Hoa and Guest Jeff just couldn’t resist. Didn’t know BMW made watercraft?

We were early, so we waited in the reception area until the buffet was officially open. During our wait Leonard and then Cary arrived. All of the food
looked delicious and there was a wide selection of eggs, breakfast meats, carved meats, seafood, breads, and salads. Perhaps pricey at 32.50 (including tax)
each, but I’m sure it won’t be long before the economy chases that price upwards. A special treat was the appearance of Darrell & Diane from LA.
They were at a work conference in Napa but had to stop by to at least say “Hi”. Back to the food, everyone had several plates and tummies were full.
The group broke ranks at about 1pm except for Leonard who was interested in visiting the desert line at least one more time.

A little more chatting was done in the parking lot and it was back off to The City. A nice mid-afternoon nap finished my day.

Papa

Day 4 finds us riding east into the Superstition Mountains and enjoying one of the Metro Phoenix Area’s favorite motorcycling roads, the Apache Trail. The road twists and turns as it makes its way thru the mountain and around Canyon Lake before coming to the widw spot in the road named Tortilla Flats. The is the official destination for the ride so we dismount and pause for several pictures before entering one of only a handful of buildings for breakfast. With full bellies we continue east on the Apache Trail for another 5 miles where the pavement ends. The road does continues on for several miles in the form of dirt and gravel to Roosevelt Dam however we choose to head back towards Phoenix and take in a few innings of the Giants-Cubs baseball game. The teams played to a 2-2 tie by the time we left in the 9th. More riding was on our minds and a riding to South Mountain and Dobbin’s Lookout would reveal a view of the entire Valley of the Sun. This day was summed up with a steak dinner at the Rustlers’ Roost. One of the highlights of this restaurant is a pet longhorn steer that is penned up just outside the front door. The wingspan on the beast exceeds 8 feet for sure. Day 5 and its time to bid our goodbyes to Andy and Mike. Our visit was much too short but San Francisco is calling us home. This was the first time we encountered any signifigent rain. It lasted for about 5 miles just outside of Phonix near Buckeye. We had planned Buckeye to be our breakfast stop so timing was good. Once feed, we continued on Highway 10 and into California. Overcast skies stayed with us until Palm Springs where rain again began. A gas stop was in order and a decision was made to get off the interstate. We chose instead to ride thru the Yucca and Lucerne Valley which are both vast and unspoiled. Snow was evident on the Tehachapi’s and we chose to stop in Mojave as temperatures were dropping fast. We stayed at Mojave’s only 4 star motel, Mariah, dry and warm. Our motorcycles parked just outside our window in a gravel lot. Day 6 Goin’ Home! No story here. Hiway 58 and 99. Running fast and hard to get home. A great trip. A fun and orderly group to ride with. No issues with any of the bikes. And plenty of good memories that we will share for years to come. Many thanks to Dave, Hoa, Caroline, Rex, Barbara, & Jeff for sharing the road. And to Andy and Mike for opening their home and the hospitaility offered to us while we were in Phoenix.

Papa

This year we started off with a bang by covering over 10000 miles thru 3 states in 6 days. Our journey started with the customary group  photo in front of the clubhouse at high noon. Those who were in attendance were members Papa, Dave, Hoa, Steve, Prospects Caroline & Ari, as well as guest rider Jeff. At the meeting before the ride it was announced that to get credit for the ride it would be necessary to ride to Tortilla Flats. So we headed off to the corner of 18th Street and Bryant where another picture was taken of Papa, Dave, Hoa, Steve, and Prospect Caroline. Points recorded, all but Steve were still willing to make the trip to Arizona. Ari had other plans and guest Jeff need to go back to work, but promised to catch up.

So ready to ride, off we were to cross the Bay Bridge towards Hiway 5. We were to meet up with Rex Neely of Port Stockton M/C and Barbara Sutton of Capital City M/C by 2pm in Sana Nella so no time could be wasted. We made good time and found Rex and Barbara standing in a Chevron parking lot. They had arrived only moments before. Pleseantries exchanged, we were back on Hiway 5 with the intent of reaching Buttonwillow. With 250 miles being the required distance away from the clubhouse to collect points for a meeting it was necessary to go at least that far. No one in the group felt saddlesore when we reached Buttonwillow, so we decided to go as far as we could before nightfall. We wound up in Mojave and settled in to the Motel 6 around 7:30pm. There was a cafe across the street, Barbie’s Primo Dinner, and that would be our spot for dinner. We all ordered and the food was tasty and plentiful. No one wasable to finish their plate. Long rides can make you do funny things, and this one was no different. As a joke, we decided to all call different members at the clubhouse at the same time. Don’t know what the reaction was inside the clubhouse, but the other patron in the cafe all moved a little closer to the exits once we started “belly-laughing”. Cigars, Scotch, and St.Patrick’s Day hats worn in front of our rooms finished out the 1st day.

Day 2 started by returning to Barbie’s for breakfast. Again, way too much food for the price. There was a group of older gentlemen (i use the term loosely) sitting in a booth in the corner who made reference to my “smurf” blue and thought since I/we were from San Francisco we’d enjoy some of the flavored coffees. i was reminded to behave myself and we actually enjoyed hearing the old geeser’s stories. We had to get on the road, and after spilling a cup of “Joe” on myself it seemed like the right time to leave. Pointing eastward we were continue on Hiwat 58 and into Barstow. A short fuel stop turned to to a “Scratcher” frenzey as Prospect Caroline kept winning just enough to get more tickets. I should also mention that Dave was earlier assigned the duty of Communication Officer and would be spending much of his time texting between Jeff in hopes that he would catch us and Andy as to when to expect us. I think he now has carpal tunnel syndrome in his thumbs. Back to the story, we were now headed in the direction of Las Vegas and even with skys somewhat overcast, you could feel the warmth of the desert sun. In Vegas we took a 2 hour break to see some of the sights, do a little gambling, and eat at Dick’s (the waiters do their best to live up to the name) inside the Excalibur. From Vegas, we were now southbound to ride across the Hoover Dam. Having never been there, but seeing photos, i was a little disappoint in regards to how short a distance it is to cross over the actual dam. We took some photos and tried to leave the dam by way of the road to the east. No good, there is no longer a eastern exit from Hoover Dam and it is necessary to back track and take the Pat Tillman By-Pass to enter Arizona.  Heading south on Highway 93 at speeds that caught the attention of Arizona’s Department of Public Safety, it was necessary to bring our “ponies”  back under control. At least until Johnny Law was satisfied that we respected his authority and presence on Arizona’s Highways. Under the shadow of darkness the decision was made that we would stop short of our prefered destination of Williams and bunk in Segliman instead. It worked out to be a good choice as we stayed at a funky old 50′s motel, Historic Route 66.  The diner next door, Roadkill Cafe, offered its own offbeat charm with many unusually named dishes for supper. The rest of the night was again celebrated with cigars and Bushmill. The was even a group of Germans from the Mainhatten HOG Chapter there that shared their tales of  motorcycling adventure and their appreciation and vastness of the American Southwest. Alot was said about how much an American motorcycle sells for in Germany and we are lucky that they are so plentiful here. I didn’t have the heart to tell them that most of the club rides BMW’s.

Day 3 and guest Jeff has caught up with us. After breakfast in Lilo’s Cafe, we ride eastward  on Highwat 40 to Williams and then make a left heading towards the Grand Canyon. Entry price for the park is $25 per vehicle or so the sign says. We get in for $12 and find the hole that everyone talks about. It is quite impressive what nature can do, but we have a date with Andy and we need to get to Phoenix today! We blast down Highway 17 and before long are at the house of Mike Golden (Andy’s friend) and are greeted by Mike, Andy, Instant Dave, and our airbourne member Nameless. Only a PBR dispensing Pepsi machine is a bigger suprise. Nameles and Andy are quick to notify me that Nameless has already made hid pilgrimage A BBQ is had in our honor and more cigars, liquoir and beer fill the night.

To be continued,

Papa