Happy birthday to all motorcycle riders who celebrate in February. Happy birthday to my good friend and fellow IHR member Sandi Long in Pocatello, Idaho. Happy birthday to riders in the Santa Cruz area: Mike Golden, Dennis Heekin, Beci Ladson Vigil and Walt Nagle. The Hot Chocolate Gang in Santa Nella has a lot of celebrating to do. Happy birthday to Arnold Cain, Wayne Harrison and Dave Heppner. Happy birthday to members of the former Napa-Solano H.O.G. chapter: Dodie Dillon in Vacaville, Linda and Ernie Vasquez in Coarsegold, Keri Clements in El Sobrante, Bobbie Jo Hurst in Vacaville and Kathy Statham in Spearfish, South Dakota. Happy birthday to Frank Calabro and Ed Martinez in San Jose, to Diana Rohrer in Sacramento, Jim Snawder of the Viet Nam Vets MC, to Allen Aldridge, co-manager of Jamestown H-D, and to Peter Donovan of the Intermountain H.O.G. chapter in Boise, Idaho. Happy birthday to celebrity riders John Travolta, Peter Fonda and Travis Tritt. Now let’s all give a great big happy birthday shout out to my significant other, Jack Munoz… February is sweetheart month and time to gear up for the many sweetheart rides that will be going on. My pick is the 35th annual Sweetheart Run put on by Jack and Joan Stadel of C&E Auburn Indian and V-Twin. Meet at C&E at 10:00 a.m. on February 15, and it will only cost you $5 per person to join the ride. For another $5, you can get a ride pin. C&E is at 12015 Shale Ridge Lane in Auburn. Kickstands will go up at 12:00 p.m., and you will ride Highway 49 to the historic Georgetown Hotel and Bar and end at The Coloma Club… Be careful and get well wishes go to Mardi Moore, an IHR member who lives in Gold Hill, Oregon. Mardi has to have more back surgery to fuse additional vertebrae. The doctor told her to use extreme caution because a fall could leave her a paraplegic—if she lived through it. Now, you have to know Mardi to fully appreciate the “be careful” admonishment. I once saw Mardi strap crutches to her Harley so that she could keep on riding. She is a power-packed athlete who rides Harleys and horses, and she says she is not giving up either of those. Hubby Bob will have to coldcock her to make her stay put… This is a blue-ribbon year for Capay Valley. On February 21 and 22, Capay Valley will hold its 100th annual Almond Festival. When it started in 1915, the festival was held in September in celebration of the almond harvest. It was later changed to February or March so that visitors could enjoy the beauty of acres of almond trees in blossom. Go and take a tour through the valley towns of Capay, Brooks, Guinda, Esparto and Rumsey. There will be food, music and entertainment all along the way. One of my favorite hangouts is the Road Trip in Capay where there will be live music, and the food is top notch… There are many worthwhile organizations that need donations. Who can resist those heart-wrenching animals shown by the ASPCA? These needs are constant and ongoing. So despite these commendable fundraisers, let me tell you of a one-time need within the biker world. In 1949, Dick Klamfoth entered his first Daytona motorcycle race, and he won it. He went on to set a record of being the first three-time winner of Daytona. That record was not broken until 1998. On December 20, the Hall of Famer and his wife lost their home, animals, vehicles and barn to fire. They lost everything but their lives. If you can make a donation, please go to www.gofundme.com/klamforthfirefund… Have you heard of the organization BACA? BACA is an acronym for Bikers Against Child Abuse. The group was started by a social worker who goes by the name of “Chief.” The original group had approximately 20 members but has since grown into an international organization. All members use nicknames to protect their individual identities. To become a member, each person has to go through several layers of investigation and committed dedication to earn the patch, and while members do wear patches, this group is not a motorcycle club. As with individuals, groups that want to be chartered also have to progress through several stages to elevate from temporary to fully recognized chapters. I recently had a long conversation with Deacon, and he told me that he is involved with a temporary charter of BACA in Modesto. The Modesto charter is temporary because it has not yet gone through all the stages to become a fully recognized chapter. If you are interested in learning more or becoming a member, go to a meeting. The meeting is open to the public, and it is held the first Sunday of each month at 1:00 p.m. at the Elks Lodge on 645 Charity Way in Modesto. Written correspondence can be sent to 2801 Oakdale Road, Suite H2#214, Modesto, CA 95355. There is also a hotline. Call 209.345.8497, leave a message and someone will get back to you.
