[rckendall]

I just want to give my perspective on this weekend’s ride. We had our share of situations, but we got through it together and had fun. Life does happen.

Friday, only three of us showed up for lunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel, but it was very worthwhile. It is a very impressive structure , built in 1927, I believe, and the service was great. The ride back to town from there was where the trouble started. Yuri’s bike had electrical gremlins and after three roadside repairs, we abandoned it and gave him a ride to the hotel to make other arrangements.

The group met at the hotel later for dinner and had a good time. Saturday morning, we met at Pete’s for breakfast and then set out for our ride. Our first section was great fun and everyone settled in for the remainder of the day’s ride. The next leg is where our lead rider, Wheelieboy, had his misfortune. Nobody knows exactly what happened, but he fell on his left side and slid into the ditch. The bike was on top of him when Tuna came along and Jeff was ‘out’. He came around quickly and our biggest fears subsided, but we knew he needed medical attention. A couple of riders who had GPS’s and cell phones went to call for help. Others attended to his immediate needs while others prayed.

The Park Rangers showed up first and took his vitals and gathered info for the report. The ambulance then came and loaded Jeff up and got under way. Holen and Tuna had begun the task of getting the bike back to town, and later went on home to get the pickup to haul the bike. The remaining seven of us, regrouped and headed for lunch. Along the way, one of the new riders had to make an evasive move to clear some late breaking from the rider in from of him, and he and his bike went over the bank. Fortunately, a tree stopped them only a few feet down and a passing motorist had a strap, and pulled the bike out. Regrouped again and off to lunch.

During lunch, Shelly offered to lead a loop which would include the dragon (local) going both ways. That ride turned into about 120 miles and all seven of the remaining, made the loop. Then, back to the hotel for showers , spirits, and fellowship. Dinner followed at the steakhouse across from the hotel. We kept track of Jeff’s condition along the way and kept everyone informed. Oh yeah, Jeff W returned to the hotel early because of the creeping crud. He was feeling better when we arrived back at the end of the day.

So, all in all, as Jeff said, ‘Life happened’, we dealt with it, and then went out and rode our bikes. We stuck together as a family would have and got through it together. I feel blessed to be able to associate with such a great group of people that have such passion for motorcycles and spirited riding.

Richard

P.S. There’s much more to share and I hope some others give their perspective also.