Johnson Lane Journal: A fun motorcycle rally in Quincy

Being a member of a motorcycle club can be a great thing.

This past weekend, I once again participated in the Quincy, Calif. BMW Rally.

This was my third year (no, I don't have a BMW, I have a Honda Goldwing) but they still let me come to the event. When you belong to a club, you get invited to lots of events that can be great for your social life.

This year, I set out on a mission for tales from other riders' experiences. Sitting around the campfire in the evening is a really good time to ask questions. I was telling one sidecar driver about how if I drive with my blue miniature poodle as my passenger, I get lots of looks. If I drive with my daughter Jenee as my passenger, I get some looks. If I drive alone, I get next to no looks. This gentleman named Bo from Oregon said he can top that story. His friend drives a sidecar with a standard poodle for a passenger.

One day, he was riding after meeting friends from Walla Walla, Wash., who brought him a 50-pound bag of onions which he strapped on the back of his sidecar chair. On his way home he stopped for fuel. A couple came over and said hello, then walked around the sidecar for a few minutes, not saying a word. Then they asked, "Where'd you get the bag of onions?"

What, not how hard is that to drive? How cute his dog was? Weird.

Carol, a Johnson Lane resident, told me of her experience while at the rally. They had left as a group of about 10 riders on an adventure of about 120 miles. There was some road work where they had to ride on a mile of gravel. That can be quite challenging on a street bike that doesn't have big knobby tires. She did great, and all the men that followed her exclaimed around the campfire how great she did getting through that difficult road work. Yeah for women motorcycle drivers.

While we were there we rode up the La Porte Road to the second bridge built in 1890. When we got out to walk across it, my daughter Jenee was excited to see these men in the river with these funny looking vacuums. They were drudging for gold. We asked the one guys about how they were doing, and he said my father is doing real good. Wow, makes me want to go gold panning.

Even if you don't drive a motorcycle, the drive up Highway 89 to Quincy is a beautiful drive. It's only about two hours to get there, if you don't have a 7-year-old who wants to stop all the time. Portola has that wonderful train museum go to. What beautiful country we have right in our back yard. We are so lucky, go out and enjoy it.

-- Lisa Welch is a Johnson Lane resident and can be reached at 267-9350.