Surprise! If this column seems a bit odd to you, let me tell you what has happened through the magic of deadlines. I have been out of the country for a couple of weeks, and wouldn’t you know, my deadline for this column fell splat in the middle of those two weeks. Many thanks to my understanding editors, Marjorie “Shadow” Kleiman and Cristy Pazera, for letting me file early. I am penning this before I leave, but I will be back before you have a chance to read it. Where have I been? Arrivederci, Roma. It may take a while for me to get my head out of the clouds and my feet back on the ground… In the meanwhile, save this date on your calendar: Sunday, November 26. Richard Venturi invited me to the annual toy run. The toy run is in its 24th year, and the Willits Wild Bunch has sponsored this event for the past nine years. The Willits Wild Bunch is a community organization, but the members ride Harleys. This will be a pack ride starting at noon. It meets at the Evergreen Shopping Center, 1700 S. Main Street, Willits, and the Little Lake Fire Department will escort riders through downtown to the Little Lake Grange. Participation will cost you a new, unwrapped toy. Once at the Grange, there will be live music, a no-host bar, food, raffle, and a live auction. This is an event that you don’t want to miss. It benefits the Willits Kids Christmas Program… Speaking of Richard Venturi, let’s all send get-well wishes, good karma and prayers. Richard is undergoing surgery for stage one ampullary cancer. It will be a number of weeks before he is able to climb back on his Harley… Happy birthday to all riders who celebrate in October. Happy birthday to IHR members Colleen “Murph” Cuccarese in Salem, Oregon, happy birthday to Jewel Kinchloe in Elma, Washington, happy birthday to Dale Visage in Medford, Oregon, and happy birthday to IHR camper Karen Oliverio in Shingle Springs. I am sorry to miss seeing all of you at the camp out. Maybe we can find a way to get together during the coming months. Happy birthday to Paul Bush in Santa Cruz and happy birthday to Sue Roi in San Jose. Happy birthday to members of ABATE Local 17 Bill McBride, Marshall Johnson and Linda Hines. Happy birthday to Dwain “Paper Boy” Johnson and to Charlynn Matheson in Vacaville. A very special happy birthday to my sister, Jackie Nobrega. Happy birthday to celebrity riders Joaquin Phoenix, Alan Jackson and Dwight Yoakam… The last time I was in Daytona Beach, the Harley dealership was closed tight. Not a mouse was stirring. But it won’t be that way for Daytona Beach Biketoberfest. More than 100,000 bikers will turn out between October 19 and 22, and riders will be sure to visit the Bruce Rossmeyer’s Harley-Davidson dealership. This has always been a popular event and dealership. Sadly, Bruce was killed some years ago when he crashed as he rode to Sturgis, but the dealership has been family owned and run since its inception in 1994, and it remains the place to be… It was some years ago when I read of a motorcyclist who saved a woman’s life. He was riding behind a car and saw a man wrestling with a woman in the back seat. He realized that the woman was fighting and did not want to be taken. I cannot give you names and specifics because this is an old memory. I do remember, however, that he saved the woman by following closely behind the car until the abductors gave up, and she was rescued. Over the years, I have admired and thanked this unknown biker. Now, again, a biker has made the difference in seeing justice done. Let’s call the biker Dick Danger. With his rearview mirror, he saw a black Mercedes crossing the yellow line. The Mercedes driver, Nathanial Sylvester, had a near miss with one oncoming car and sideswiped a second oncoming car. He then rear ended a car in his lane and stopped. Dick has all of this on video. Dick got off his bike and approached the scene of the crash when Nathanial took off. Dick returned to his bike and gave chase while calling 911. The chase continued onto the freeway and off and back on and off again. Nathanial eventually pulled to the curb and stopped. Thanks to Dick who was still talking to 911, the CHP arrived within minutes and arrested Nathanial who was DUI. This took place in Compton and Moreno Valley, but it could happen anywhere. Dick said that he did not want to get involved but that he had to do the right thing. Thank you, Dick… I have often heard it said that today’s biker is the last American cowboy. In that case, many of you will want to ride to Lone Pine for the 28th annual Western Film Festival. It sounds like so much fun. This festival runs between October 6 and 8. Many old western movies starring the likes of John Wayne, Henry Fonda, James Stewart and Robert Mitchum will be shown prior to taking you out to see the actual places where the movies were staged. If you have ever been through Lone Pine, you will remember that it is a very small town. So, accommodations are limited. You may have to get a motel in Bishop or opt for camping. To be sure, contact the Lone Pine Film Festival information and ticket office. Call 760.876.9909 and look them up at wrangler@lonepinefilmhistorymuseum.org.
