While driving at about 70 mph on Interstate 80, I came abreast of a somewhat slower car in the number-three lane. Before I could pull ahead, a CHP motor cop came up from behind doing over 80 mph and split the lanes between us. Hey! I want to do that, too!… Happy birthday to all Harley riders who celebrate in May. Happy birthday to old Santa Cruz H.O.G. friends Hannelore Hill and George Lucchesi. Also in Santa Cruz, happy birthday to Niel Macdonald and Amy DeNero. Happy birthday to Andy Lagosh in Sacramento, to Barbara “JJ” Wissler in Monterey, to Elly Rampoldi from Modesto H.O.G., to Jan Landers from Iron Steed H.O.G. in Vacaville, to Pam Hensley from NorthCoast H.O.G. in Ferndale, to Pervis Leewright in Fairfield and to Jim Statham in Spearfish, South Dakota. Happy birthday to THUNDER PRESS Northern California Bureau Chief Felicia Morgan, and THUNDER PRESS South Editor Robert Filla. Happy birthday to celebrity riders Cher, Clint Eastwood, George Clooney and Wynonna. Don’t forget, send me your vitals and you can also get a happy birthday greeting… Please don’t forget Gary Cook’s invitation to join the West Coast Hawgs for Dogs at their Mother’s Day pancake breakfast. It will be Sunday, May 12, at Pizza Italia on Ardenwood Boulevard in Fremont. For more information call 510.489.785… Do you know (or used to know) Tim Classon? Tim now lives in Sandpoint, Idaho, but back in the day he lived in Coeur d’Alene. How far is that? MapQuest says Sandpoint is about 45 miles north of Coeur d’Alene. Think back about 30–40 years ago. Tim was a member of the Coeur d’Alene Free Riders MC and became president of the chapter in 1976. The parent chapter of Free Riders MC was in Boise. Then, like so many of us, a divorce dramatically changed his lifestyle. He had to sell all of his worldly possessions including his motorcycle and then hit the road. Now, after so many years, Tim is trying to locate and connect with some of his old club members. Free Riders MC is gone from Coeur d’Alene, but maybe some of Tim’s friends are still in the area. It is time for a little nostalgia and Auld Lang Syne. If you know Tim from the old days, e-mail me with your name and how to contact you and I will pass it on to Tim. Last, but not least, thank you to Tim for the good words about my column. Tim goes from his home in Sandpoint to Lawrence’s motorcycle shop on Government Way in Coeur d’Alene to pick up his THUNDER PRESS. Good show, Tim!… Here’s a great big shout out to Gary Fincher. I don’t know where you are located, but I got your e-mail saying you read my column each month. Many thanks, and yes, I will look forward to seeing you on the road someday… Some years ago I met Darrell “Deacon” Angle at a Modesto H.O.G. event when he used to ride with them. Deacon still rides, but these days he prefers to ride independently. In fact, he just took possession of a new Harley trike. He says it takes some getting used to, but he loves it. While we were talking, Deacon told me about Tim Pslueger and his daughter, Katie. Katie is a special needs girl, and although she can never ride a bike by herself, her love was to ride in her daddy’s sidecar. I say “was” because some low-life stole her sidecar. Can you imagine? They left the bike but took the sidecar. Well, you know how bikers are. We cannot let that stand. Deacon said there will be a “Katie’s Sidecar Party” on May 11 from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. to raise money to replace Katie’s sidecar that will enable her to ride once again. The party will be in Turlock at the Grizzly Rock Café, 4905 North Golden State Boulevard. The Blue-A-Fuse rock band out of Tracy will be playing. Blue-A-Fuse often plays for Harley dealerships including Mitchell’s, Eagle’s Nest and Sacramento, and they play at runs such as the Fun Run to Murphy’s. For $18 you can listen to some good music, eat some fine food and help Katie. Sounds like a winner all around… I recently received notice that Ross Seaborn died from injuries received in an accident. Ross was a member of the Green Knights Military Motorcycle Club. Warm condolences go to his family and friends. He will be sorely missed… Here is a surprise for you. Most of us know that Steven Seagal is a Reserve Deputy Chief for the Sheriff’s department in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. We know it because we tuned into his reality television series Steven Seagal: Lawman. But, do you know that biker Erik Estrada is also a bona fide lawman? Yep, we still think of Erik as Poncherello on CHiPs, but he has actually carried a badge for several years. He was a reserve police officer in Muncie, Indiana, and then he became a full-time deputy sheriff and an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigator for Bedford County, Virginia. Erik has children and he takes this work to heart. He was recently in Northern California to promote his latest work against Internet child abuse. He stars in a full-length movie in which he plays a sheriff trying to find and rescue a 14-year-old girl who was a victim of an online predator. The title is Finding Faith, and you can get additional information at www.findingfaithfilm.com.
