Revised September 17,2014Although I had attended the Wounded Warriors Weekend in Slave Lake the weekend before the Cumberland Motorcycle Round Up, I have decided to wait to write about that amazing weekend until I am at home where I can put all of my love and energy into that article. That article is going to be a long and intense one to write, so watch for it coming soon!
In the mean time, I want to share with you my time at the RoundUp in Cumberland…
I got to the BC Ferries terminal at Horseshoe Bay in time to board the evening ferry. The service on the ferry was awesome. I know a lot of Islanders have an issue with the ferries and the prices they charge, but running a ferry service is expensive and someone has to pay the freight. I guess that’s the price you pay for living in paradise.
I thought the ferry was awesome. The staff was friendly; the food in the cafeteria was very good as was the selection and I found the prices to be very reasonable.
There were a half dozen bikes on this ship and we shared some great laughs and stories – all of them were heading to the Cumberland Motorcycle Round Up too!
The views from the deck were nothing short of awe inspiring and some of Mother Nature’s actors decided to put on a wee show – the seals were having what appeared to be a lot of fun. The sunset was intense and absolutely gorgeous. As we pulled into Nanaimo, the lights from the shore danced on the water and made one feel so welcomed.
I got into Ladysmith at about 10:00 pm and stayed over night with our web mistress Ali and her hubby Gator. It was awesome to see them and reconnect.
In the morning we rode together into Cumberland and spent some time walking the impressive display of vendors and bikes that graced Main Street.
The streets were teaming with people, shoulder to shoulder, bikes and laughter everywhere. Ali and Gator headed back to Ladysmith and I spent time walking with WyzWmn, Karen Brown and her dog Pixie. I was able to connect with many friends like Lady Di, and spent a most enjoyable afternoon wandering up and down the street, visiting, taking photos and video and just being.
There were thousands of people walking up and down the streets of Cumberland, all had smiles on their faces and they seemed to enjoy the street performers that were performing.
There were people on stilts who were dressed in a wide array of costumes, belly dancers, hula dancers and a snake charmer, and even a Robot! All of these people were out doing their best to ensure people were having a good time.
In the Cumberland Hotel, there were burlesque and lingerie shows, a beer gardens that was directly across from the bandstand, making it the place to be if you wanted a beverage.
Tom and Angela from BikerTV were on hand interviewing and filming for an upcoming episode of their popular show and I was doing interviews for my TV show Ride Like a Local.
At about 4 pm, the street started to thin out and vendors began putting away their wares so I headed up to the bike games.
There was a small beer gardens alongside the track where the riders and passengers took part in al sorts of skills games. People were hooting and hollering for their favorite teams. The tire pulls were a tad on the dangerous side as the passengers were often not dressed in full gear and I expressed my concerns, as did a few others. I have since learned that the tire pulls are not going to be a part of the games next year.
Pretty soon it was time to head over to my hosts place, Ian and Kathy Kelly had a fresh salmon on the BBQ and we had a good feed and some great conversation before walking up to the dance.
The dance was amazing, the band had so many people up dancing, the hall was decorated with mini lights and the silent auction tables were brimming with items!
The hall soon became hot and stuffy and I spent sometime outside in the extended beer gardens area, staying cool and chatting with many of the visiting riders. Everyone seemed to be having a ball.
At midnight, the Mr. Cumberland contest got underway and oh my word did we get a show!
There were 6 guys who were brave enough to get up on the stage and strut their stuff; some even dropped their laundry, which had the crowd roaring with laughter.
The gent who won was crowned and given a sash just like any beauty pageant winner would get. It was good clean fun that had everyone in stitches and of course Jean – the Dominatrix of the rally was hamming it up!
I headed back to the Kelly’s place just before the dance ended at 1 am and was out like a light in no time!
At 8 am, we all headed down town to the pancake breakfast. There were easily over 150 bikes that were going to take in the poker run. After being given a safety talk, the mayor, a wonderful woman who totally supports this event, got on the back of one of the bikes for the Mayor’s ride and that was the signal for the poker run to start.
The ride took us through the Comox Valley with the highlight being the fourth card stop at Mount Washington. The ride up to the ski hill was wonderful, the road is wide and paved and filled with nice curves. Once there we took in the biker’s buffet that offered chicken breasts, burgers, potato wedges and all sorts of salads for $10. With a full belly we headed for the chairlift, the fee to ride the lift was compliments of Mount Washington’s owners. 
Since I don’t ski, I have never been on a chairlift and I have to tell you it was an impressive experience. The view from the top of the mountain is something I won’t forget any time soon. The entire valley lay before you and it is truly an awe inspiring experience.
After the that stop, we headed back to Cumberland and the Cumberland Hotel where there were thousands of dollars in door prizes up for grabs. Tickets were sold at $1 each and many people walked away with impressive prizes like tattoo gift certificates, and gift cards from Steve Drane H-D, wine baskets and leather goods.
Ian Kelly, my host, won the poker run with a full house! The prize was a Harley duffel bag (leather), filled with $2,500 in prizes; everything from tattoos to over night stays in some of the regions most impressive spas to a bottle of tequila were included in that bag!
Everything wound up at about 5pm, and judging by the comments and faces of the riders who had attended, a great time was had by all!
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| Jean Cameron |
If you enjoy street based events like Port Dover, the Wharf Rat Rally or the Real Sturgis in South Dakota, this event is a MUST DO! The town’s people WANT you to experience their region and they all break their necks to ensure you feel wanted and welcomed.
There were lots of police because of the Hells Angels being present, but both groups were polite and courteous and left the average rider alone…in all, it was a wonderful event that every rider should experience at least once!
I want to thank Jean and her entire crew of the Cumberland Motorcycle RoundUp for a most joyful and enjoyable event.
REVISION INFORMATION - I have been advised that there was an error in my mentioning a veterans support club bringing the attention of the police. There is one, but I named the wrong one. The image I was given was extremely similar to that of another club, The Veterans Canada MC. My apologies to the 22 Crew for misreading the image linked in the Liquor Control Board email.
REVISION INFORMATION - I have been advised that there was an error in my mentioning a veterans support club bringing the attention of the police. There is one, but I named the wrong one. The image I was given was extremely similar to that of another club, The Veterans Canada MC. My apologies to the 22 Crew for misreading the image linked in the Liquor Control Board email.
Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider