Photo Credit: Stu Osborn

Bad Rock Reunion Trail Ride ... June 19, 2008

The area next to the tennis courts in Weston, Oregon was humming with vintage bikes ... scattered Yamahas and Hondas, but mostly Hodakas, Hodakas, Hodakas. Checking with the registration desk revealed that there would be about 50 riders! So many familiar faces -- Gregg Floren, Bob Whitman, Rick Mott, Thal Anderson, Ed Chesnut, Danny Messmore (all healed from the mishap to his hand and arm from last year), Jeff Harshman, Al Pedro ... and many more. Mike Perrett was there ... wanting to add this 40-mile ride to his 2400 or more miles riding his 175 cc Hodaka from Rouseville, PA to Athena this year. Amazing that he would want his "nether regions" that near a bike seat again so soon! Later, Mike noted it was a lot easier to ride his bike without the load of gear he'd carried across country.

The entire thing looked incredibly well-organized, despite the sea of bikes and armor-clad riders. Registrants were divided into groups of 3 to 5 riders, taking off a few minutes apart. Kelly Corwin was quick to help out when one rider's engine decided to die.

Of course, within about 15 minutes, three of front running riders were back at the start, a bit red of face ... having gotten lost! Or (and here the story gets a bit murky) having lost one of their group's riders! Sharper eyes, announced the organizers, sharper eyes! Look for those blue arrows on white background on the telephone poles!

Primary organizer of the Bad Rock reunion ride was John Patterson with his wife Chris and his brother Bill. Jan Floren handled the registration desk with great aplomb. Gregg Floren acted as time keeper, giving each wave of riders the "go" signal. They are all to be commended for a great job!

A couple tidbits:

Ed Chesnut is riding a worked-over and updated bike on same frame he rode in ISDT lo! 30 years or so ago ... but who is counting, right? And his number is the one that he went with in the ISDT reunion ride in 2007. BUT his boots are brand new ... a birthday present.
And guess who has come out of retirement? Al Pedro! And with the same boots on that he wore at the original Bad Rock. At a Hodaka Days five or six years ago, Al pushed and pushed for folks to sign up who were interested in reincarnating Bad Rock. Over the years he has softly but firmly brought it up many a time. And FINALLY! It worked! Al Pedro, out of retirement and riding in the last grouping, as the sweeps, with Jeff Harshman and Thal Anderson, and a young friend of Al's: Levi Pendergraft.
Judy Canfield came running to the start area to report Bob had a flat on his bike. Off to Harry Taylor's to try and fix, with no luck. And of course, you guessed it, Harry rolled one of his bikes out of his shop and said "here ya' go!" And Bob made the trail ride.
Capt. Eddy's comment on the ride: "Great!! About 33 miles of paved road, gravel road, two track and single track. Blue skies, fluffy clouds, shirt sleeve temps, great company . . . and land owners who seem to think we are a great bunch! A few bikes didn't make the whole trip, but I am not aware of any notable crashes . . . well there was the wheelie out of the bog following a creek crossing which ended with gathering soil sample, but Larry is OK. For now that is. It was all caught on video (isn't that the way it always happens?)"
Fred Carey figures that group 10 of riders, which included himeslf, Bob Canfield, Larry Sommerfeld, Ed Chesnut, and Dave Michaels, probably racked up the most age points ... and would have had an even better shot at the "oldies" label if Ed and Dave hadn't been with them!

The 49 riders included a diversity great to see ... of ages, genders, parent-child combos, spouses, old timers and newbies: John Patterson, "CJ", Diane and Greg Watkins, Andrea and Brian Bellman, Richard Gantz, Luke Olson, Reggie and Everett Chapman, Jamie and Kolby McAdams, Phil Chapman, Milo Linville, Jon Teal, Danny Messmore, Dave Rozier, Ben Schenk, Bill Maxwell, Kelly and Kaylie McKeirnan, Ron Liddle Bill Morris, Jim Allen, Don Mooney, Tom Shelton, Dan Judd, Louie Steinhauer, Paul Stannard, Ken Smith, Mike Kirschberger, Bob Whitman, Mike Perrett, Stu Osborn, Dennis Baccus, Tom Sapp, Bradley Johns, Ralph Dilla, Richard and Tracy Schwartz, Ed Chesnut, Larry Sommerfield, Dave Michaels, Fred Carey, Bob Canfield, Thal Anderson, Jeff Harshman, Al Pedro, and Levi Pendergraft.

Al Pedro's Trail Ride photos

Mike Perrett's Trail Ride photos

Hodaka Days 2008 Links to other photo and commentary pages.

All material copyright 2008 by JHM Associates. Please contact jhmassoc @ oregontrail.net (without the spaces) for any photo files as the originals are usually better than those configured for website upload. Thanks.