Shipping a motorcycle across the US is not as mystical as many think. There are hundreds of myths floating around the internet about how to ship a motorcycle across the US. In this article, I have attempted to make some clarifications and discuss the important aspects of shipping motorcycles across the US.
Nationwide Auto Transportation is one of the largest companies across the US that specialize in this kind of shipment, and they give you a detailed explanation of how to prepare your motorcycle for shipping.
Prepare your motorcycle for shipping
Carefully clean your entire motorcycle of dirt, from wheel to wheel and everything in between. Also, assess and observe the damages on it such as scratches and dents. This is important because you want to know the state of your motorcycle before it is loaded for shipping. Taking a series of photos of your motorcycle pre and post trip is also a good idea that helps eliminate discrepancies.
There are basically two methods of loading a motorcycle for shipping
Individual loading – here motorbikes are individually crated for shipping. This is the best practice because it gives extra protection to the motorcycle.
Multiple loading – Motorcycles are braced and locked inside the crates to allow multiple bike loading
The Best Method for Shipping – Closed or Open Carrier?
Your choice of shipping method boils down to your own needs and preferences. You can ship your motorcycle(s) across the US either in an enclosed trailer or on an open carrier.
While the cheaper option is an open carrier, it is not the safest method for transporting your motorcycles. With the open carrier transport, your motorcycle will be exposed to the dangers of road hazards and environmental elements. Also, when it is in transport, it is visible to everyone if it’s not crated.
Closed transport may cost more in the end, but it is the wiser choice when shipping your motorcycle. The bike is totally enclosed from the pick up to delivery point. With the closed carrier, your motorbike is safe from debris and the elements (ex. rain, hail, snow, dust). Your motorbike is most likely going to be delivered in the exact condition it was before loading. So you have no worries about scratches, damages or even theft. You may still want to take a pre and post photo in the event of unavoidable accidents or possible damage.
How Shipping a motorcycle differs from shipping a car
Cars are relatively safer to ship, providing more stability from the hand brake and having four tires. They can therefore, stand firmly during shipping. Motorcycles are lighter in weight, having just two wheels with nothing providing it stability other than the fulcrum stand, and maybe straps and/or load bars. Therefore the carriers that transport motorcycles are always extra careful.
It is a general belief that motorcycle shipping is usually cheaper than car shipping due to the difference in size and weight of the vehicles. However, this is not always the case as motorcycle shipping calls for special items such as specially closed carriers to transport them.
There is a wide range of different services that courier companies offer, that combined with the distance to travel and your needs will determine the cost of transporting your motorcycle, which will vary from company to company.
The last weekend of July I headed for Airdrie and the Airdrie Bikes & Bulls, Rumble on the Runway put on by the Alberta Oilmen's Association. This was to be my second time attending this event, last year's was held at the rodeo grounds, this year was to be held at the Airdrie Air Park.
The AOA had decided that the old rodeo grounds, while an accommodating venue to work with, just wasn't the location to help the event really take off the way it should and so they negotiated a deal with the Airdrie Airpark.
What a great move!
While they had lots of little hiccups, the venue itself, being such an open canvas is amazing and will give this event the chance it needs to truly flourish.
Adrian Pruden, the event coordinator realized very quickly that they had made the beer gardens too big with no people mover, and yes, it made it tough on people. However, based on the numbers of people who did attend, the beer gardens is the right size, it just truly requires a people mover!
And more seating and garbage cans will be needed next year, but truly, for the first time at this venue, well done! Very well done.
They got around some of the challenges by having waitresses serving at the rodeo event, it made a lot of people happy that they did not have to loose their seats in order to have an adult beverage.
The food vendors were camped out in the middle area of the event so no one had too far to walk. The Perogy truck was one of the favourites along with the Porky's Catering truck. There were vendors selling jewelry, clothing, makeup and all sorts of gadgets too!
They had a party bus shuttle service that took people to and from various hotels and other locations in Airdrie, to ensure no one had to drink and drive. I used the service extensively and was so grateful for it. I left my motorcycle in town at a friends house.
They had fantastic security folks on the gates, but there were one or two folk that needed to be told not to be so aggressive in the way they handled things. The senior management of the security team were incredible folks to work with.
The campsite was enormous, there were light towers with power hook ups everywhere, lots of port o potties, the biggest single challenge - no people movers but this is being remedied for 2019!
On Friday when I arrived I volunteered along with my friend Marnie Thibodeau to hang banners for sponsors, I am not sure either of us knew what we signed up for but four hours later we were done!
When the show opened Friday evening, the cowboys and cowgirls took centre stage and my lord they put on a show. I love the silky voice of rodeo announcer Emery Erickson, the man has been working at his trade for decades and he's damned good at.
The bucking stock came from a wide variety of stock contractors and they brought out some amazingly rank horses and bulls.
In all there were 28 failed bull ride attempts. Three successful rides by some of pro rodeos TOP cowboys in the Bull Riders of Canada Association.
But it was the kids that stole the show.
Between the wild mini horses and mutton busting, the kids won the hearts of so many.
I love watching family sports and when you think about it, rodeo, drag racing and motorcycling are all very much family sports. I guess that's why this trifecta seems to work so well.
All weekend there were amazing bands too, but I was so wiped out from walking that venue, doing photography, video and interviews that I never got to enjoy them. I hear the IKONS, the Kiss Tribute band was utterly amazing.
The big day - Saturday was jam packed with events like the Show 'n' Shine:
There were motorcycle rodeo games like the engine toss:
There was some serious drag racing going on with the Didsbury Car Club hosting!
Get a load of these twins in their matching race cars:
Folks, although this event is 9 years old, when you move to a new venue, it's like being a brand new event, ALMOST.
This year was a proving ground and while yes there were challenges, they proved to themselves that they, the Airdrie Oilmen's Association can do an amazing job no matter where they host their event because of the most incredible sponsors they have.
The sponsors that support the Airdrie Bikes & Bulls Event are STELLAR!
TARA Energy, Razor Energy, TOS (Tubular Optimization Service & Products), Pentagon, Airdrie Honda, Cam Clark Ford, IFC, RDI, HSE Integrated, AWM, Muirfield Lakes Golf Club, Cratex
Guns & Hoses, PF Collins, Astro Oilfield Rentals, Core Lab Reservoir Optimization, Destination Cycles, Evolution, McKee Homes, Rig Dawgz Consulting, StreamFlo and so very many others stepped up to assist with WHATEVER this crew needed and I can guarantee that next year's event is going to rock!
I know the causes are what truly motivate a lot of these sponsors along with the Airdrie Oilmen's Association to do what they do and to give back into their communities of the Airdrie region (Over $250K). Airdrie Community Links, Airdrie Victims Assistance, and the Airdrie Food Bank are the focal charities.
I know I plan on attending the 2019 edition - I had a blast this year, but I also know of many of the changes coming for next year and folks, you'll want to be there too, I am sure of it!
If you are blessed enough to be riding today, please remember to ride like everyone around you is blind and can not see you.
Last night at Norway Speedway in Michigan, the show car circuit lost a man that was probably one of the greatest showmen of his time, my ex husband, Doug Rose.
Born on December 6th, 1937 to Jim and Dorothy Rose of Milwaukee Wisconsin, Doug was his mother's middle child. Geoffrey was his oldest brother, and after her divorce from Jim, Dorothy remarried and had a third son, Charlie.
Dorothy ended up raising the boys on her own and struggled her way to the top of the real estate profession in Milwaukee. Dorthy was a force to be reckoned with.
Doug spent some time in the Navy (1958-1961) and when he got out, he went to work doing track photography at Union Grove Wisconsin's, Great Lakes Dragaway.
It was there that Doug met half brothers, Walt and Art Arfons and he fell in love with Jet Cars.
Art was known as the king of jet cars and the king of junk.
Art would put jet engines in the craziest things to see how fast he/they could go.
Doug chased the Green Monster and the Cyclops of the Arfons brothers around the USA until finally Walt and Art allowed him to drive. He and Bobbie Tatroe who often drove the Cyclops, (Bobby also drove the Exodus) chased each other around the country putting on shows for the drag racing fans of the US of A.
His first wife, Stephanie was a beautiful blonde from Missouri and she saw him though one of the darkest periods of his life, losing his legs during a July 4th race in Richland Virginia in 1966.
Partially because of his character, but also because of her encouragement, Doug got back in a jet car quickly.
That September, Doug was back racing the Monster, but after a disagreement over wages, he decided to strike out on his own and build his own Jet Car, he quit racing for the Arfons family in 1967.
He moved to California.
Broadway Bob Metzler (Photo: Wisconsin Hot Rod Radio)
at Doug Rose's home track Great Lakes Dragaway
By 1968 Doug was commanding his own Jet Car, the Green Mamba, named after the venomous tree snake that causes death in 90 seconds. Do you remember the window louvers that were so popular in the 70's and 80's? A man named Dick "Korky" Korkes of Korky's Kustom Studios - was their creator and he is the man who did the paint on the Mamba. 24 Karat Gold Leaf inlaid, with moana pearl paint (crushed moana pearls were mixed in an icy white paint) for the eyes.
The Mamba literally watched you everywhere you went.
Doug was one of the most talented Jet Car jockeys to ever strap into a car.
He knew his car so intimately that triple zero reaction times were his norm and the man set hundreds of track and world records.
I was Doug's middle wife. He and I were only a very tiny, albeit important, chapter in his very big, bold 80 year life.
I met Doug in 1979 at Edmonton International Speedway.
I had just graduated the year before and moved to Edmonton and had begun hanging out at the drag strip.
My girlfriend Dana Eva Leskovski was who Doug was interested in, but Dana was not reciprocating and so every time he called our apartment, I ended up talking to Doug for hours.
In 1980 Doug flew me into Salt Lake City and there I met his Crewman Frenchie (AKA John Archer). I fell in love with the salt flats, racing and all of the commotion and people. I travelled with them back to California, stopping to race twice along the way. I loved the life, Doug could see it and he asked me to come back, to live in Los Angeles with him.
I was young, impetuous and I ended up moving to California and for the next 3.5 years I crewed on the Mamba. We travelled 100K miles each summer and I gotta tell you it was culture shock that first year. I was 20, had no clue what big city living was. I learned a lot that first season.
Going from California where I learned how to use and pack a weapon to the mid west and meeting the indomitable woman who would become my mother in law to spending three months in the deep south and the hairy stuff I learned while there and then a month in Texas and finally heading home to California.
I came into Doug's life just before the NHRA outlawed his car on their drag strips for being too old and being made of mild steel instead of chrome moly. His career was hitting a wall for a variety of reasons. Most of it; he was stubborn. He had become an amateur metallurgist and he knew that his square tubed, mild steel car was just fine - but even with frame X-rays done at a military base, the NHRA wasn't budging and Doug didn't have the money to build a new car. In spite of it all, Doug and I raced and performed exhibitions at all sorts of racetracks - oval and drag.
I learned to eat foods like gator and snake, learned a lot about being a jet engine tech and a crew chief and I experienced all sorts of craziness.
One of our very first official outings as a couple saw us at an Arabian restaurant at a birthday party for one of the multitude of Doug's friends.
We were all on pillows, at a very low table, Doug was sitting at the end of the table as he couldn't cross his legs.
The poor waitress kept tripping over Doug's feet as she would cut the corner of our table on her way to the kitchen since no one was sitting there. After her third time tripping over his feet, she asked Doug if he could please move his feet and when he complied, she almost passed out from embarrassment. She had come by the table, and when she didn't trip, she thanked him for moving his feet, he said no problem, I put them in the corner. And he literally had put them in the corner.
Doug was a consumate showman.
All he cared about was making that crowd and that track promoter happy. If he could do that, then he knew they'd have him back. If they'd have him back, that meant that he could be in the cockpit of his beloved Mamba going fast and blowing stuff up.
Doug genuinely loved what he did and while there are a lot of reasons why I am his Ex wife, (some belonging to him, some belonging to me), there truly was a lot I admired about the man.
His sense of humour and sense of adventure are top of that list.
Because of my brief marriage to Doug Rose, I got to know people that I had idolized as a kid growing up on a farm in Alberta. Folks like Don and Pat Garlits, Chris Karamesines, Don Prudhomme, Tom McEwen, Johnny Force, TV Tommy Ivo, Craig Breedlove and his wife Lee, Ky the Rocket Man Michaelson and so many, many more.
Because of Doug, I saw shuttle launchings and landings, several of them.
I went to NASA, several times and not just on tours.
I experienced one on one time with Tammy Wynette, one of my she-roes in Orlando because of him.
I met Tom T Hall, Dan Haggerty & Gentle Ben and so many more.
I also had Dorothy Rose as a mother in law, a woman I loved and admired with all my heart.
And he also gave me the biggest gift of my life.
Doug and his daughter Nickey (AKA Jin Jin)
On September 16th, 1984 Doug and I had a daughter, (Jonique Marie Rose AKA Nickey).
After Doug and I divorced, he married his childhood friend, Wally Oestreich's daughter Jeanne.
I wasn't very happy when it first happened, but I have come to understand a lot about life in my 40's and 50's that eluded me in my 20's.
Jeanne and Doug really truly loved each other and love knows no age, no bounds, no restrictions.
It will find its way no matter what.
Because of Doug, my daughter has "brothers" and "sisters" that I could never give her and a whole host of "moms" like Beth and Joanne...and Jeanne, Jeanne loves Nickey and Nickey loves her.
There was a time when I cursed and railed at Doug for being the worst thing that happened to me, but as I grew up and grabbed a brain, I realized he was responsible for a lot of the good that has happened in my life.
Doug Rose was courageous and funny, determined and hard working, hard headed - hell even pig headed. He was a consummate showman, one of the greatest of his era and he brought a lot of people to their feet and made them smile and ooooh and awe in wonderment.
He loved being a Jet Car Jockey and he died doing what he loved.
Rest in Peace Douglas Yates Rose.
My condolences to Jeanne and "our' daughter Nickey Ball.
The Shuswap is but one of British Columbia's meccas for riders in the summer time.
The mountains, rivers, lakes, curves and events, these are but a few of the major draws that BC has to offer the rider and every other human being that loves mountains, lakes, rivers, curves and events!
Getting to the Sicamous Summer Stomp or any of the events in BC means navigating beautiful roads that are busy. Lots of construction means lots of impatient people who like to take a lot of risks just to get somewhere, two car lengths ahead of you. It seems to me that somehow the beauty of the region gets totally overlooked while people are driving in a hurry to get to their destination.
Doc had developed a major transmission leak, and I ended up staying in Airdrie over night. Thanks to a good friend and member of the Rider Support Network, Art Van Dieppen who came and helped me temporarily repair Doc, I was able to nurse him into Sicamous without any apparent damage to the transmission. Doc shifts nice and crisp!
My good friend Alisa Carstairs gave me a couch to sleep on and I was able to get into Sicamous by 3 pm on Friday. There was one point however, where I thought I might end up being late arriving. At the Donald Ho bridge, there is construction and it is also an area where mountain ranges meet causing the winds to be very erratic.
A micro storm swept in with gusting winds that were strong enough to rip a "This road maintained by" sign right off it's posts, and the one post went sailing through the air looking like a double headed axe, right in front of me. I had pulled over on the shoulder, the wind was just howling and I called Sicamous to find out what the weather was like there and was told that other than cloudy, it was quite nice. I waited on the side fo the road for about 15 minutes and finally the winds settled down and I could get over 30 mph in third gear!
I used to live in Sicamous and it felt good to arrive back in the city, I forgot how much I had loved this place. It was sad to see that there are a number of businesses that have not survived and some of the changes like the addition of a round about that made me reminisce about long lights!!! HAHAHA, NOT.
I was staying at Joe Schmucks Roadhouse, my favourite motel. (Here is my little video saying goodbye to the Shuswap and thanking a few of the folks who helped make the stay so incredible.)
Their wonderful hardworking staff in the restaurant serve up the great food the kitchen puts out and George and Lori manage the campsite, the motel and the housekeeping staff and laundry.
It's a big job, but it allows them both to be home with their daughter and they love working for the Pearsons. Mark and Wendy formerly of Drayton Valley Alberta, are some of the finest people you will ever meet. Anyway, as you can tell, I love this place and it felt good to be back.
I called Steve Hammer, one of the organizers of the Summer Stomp and he picked me up and gave me a lift to the grounds and also organized for Serge from Serge's HD Repair to repair my motorcycle's sick transmission. (If you ever need a good, dependable technician, Serge is your guy!)
The Summer Stomp has seen 28 different iterations before this one and each one has been unique.
They have evolved over time. There used to be mechanical bull riding, and a wet tee shirt contest, those were not present and had been removed the last few years.
The shuttle bus that runs on donations and goes from hotel to hotel has done an awful lot to reduce the presence of the police. The police officers that did show up proved to be pretty decent.
Bathrooms, showers, food vendors, a merch booth, covered eating area and alcohol sales all in close proximity to each other made the job of the gents running the people movers through the campgrounds to the grounds an easy task.
These guys and dolls had it all covered. No reason to drink and drive, on site ATM's so you could make sure you had a few bucks to tip the volunteers...it was utterly fantastic.
The sound stage was as fine as that of any major concert and the talent on it was incredible.
While the music and entertainers were truly very enjoyable, I love the rodeo games.
For me, watching people of incredible skill manoeuvre their machines through obstacles, slow racing and keg pushing, well it's just something I truly love. Friday night brought out some wonderful "gamers" and they put on one heck of a show. They won $25 worth of Stomp Bucks to spend in the Merch booth and Wade, the announcer and his infield crew were constantly giving away swag to the crowd.
Wade is one of the best announcers in the business.
He is so in to what he's doing, and he's innately funny too!
I was some whipped and so I only stayed for some of the early entertainment before my eyes and legs said that had had enough for one day. I jumped in the shuttle and headed off to a most comfortable bed and a peaceful sleep.
I was up bright an early and had breakfast with George, Lori and their daughter. Mark Pearson rode me over to Serge's so I could drop off my motorcycle and Serge took me back to Joe Schmucks Roadhouse.
My bike was ready at about 2:30pm and Serge's wife picked me up. The man is an absolute angel, he never charged me a thing (He cleaned and lactated the Allen bolts in place and topped up the fluid)! His kindness MUST be repaid!
So welcome to Serge's HD Repair, our newest business member in the RFBA!
I was able to interview two of the Merchandise gals from Barnes Harley-Davidson, a gent who makes cigar box guitars, a gal who has a welding business and makes some sharp looking sissy bars.
I interviewed Steve Hammer, Wade and Mike...and then we watched some incredible games.
I got to interview Darby Mills of the Darby Mills Project - I love that bold, ballsy gal.
She has a voice that comes from the centre of the earth. She pulls this huge, huge sound out of this tiny frame and it's awe inspiring. Darby definitely loves what she does and there is a strength, I don't know what else to call it, in her voice that has been unleashed since she left the Headpins. It's richer, stronger...
Maybe it's because this is Darby, raw and unleashed...and what an utterly amazing show she and her band put on.
In all Summer Stomp had 14 acts to entertain you and one of them was the High Energy Fire & More Show. My word that was amazing to watch.
There is no Romp like the Stomp and after 29 years it's still going strong!
Reposted from the Busted Knuckle Chronicles... Canada’s
Most Rider Friendly Contest Winner!!!!
Our
Quest to find the MOST Rider Friendly Community from the 2017 riding season is
over and in a resounding win, Lloydminster Alberta won that honour.
The
only border city in Canada, Lloydminster straddles the provinces of
Saskatchewan and Alberta and the border between Saskatchewan and Alberta is
signified by 4 100” tall survey markers.
Running
North to South on the 4th Meridian, the border falls directly on 50th Avenue
(Meridian Avenue) in the centre of Lloydminster. Addresses east of 50th Ave. are considered to
be in Saskatchewan and addresses west of 50th Ave are considered to be in
Alberta.
This
border town of 31,400 has a lot to offer the visitor.
For
the rider who needs parts or service, Edge Harley-Davidson (and they are member
business of the Rider Friendly Business Association), Lloydminster Honda , Rough
‘n’ Tough Powersports, Boundary Motorsports , White Knuckle Motorsports and
Lethal Motorsports are there to serve you. See their links below.
The
EconoLodge by Choice Hotels in Lloydminster is part of the Rider Friendly
Business Association and offers riders up to 20% off on rooms!
Sandy
Beach Regional Park offers a wonderful sandy beach, camping with serviced and
unserviced lots, tenting (which is becoming rare these days), golfing and a
camp kitchen and hall that are both for rent.
The
Bordertown H.O.G. Chapter is an active and busy one! They host the Toy Run in
September and are actively involved in every charitable ride in the region!
I
look forward to being in Lloydminster for their Toy Run in September to film 2
episodes of Ride Like a Local and learn all about the city and why riders in
the region are so proud of it!
Until
next time, ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you!
I rode in to Two Hills Alberta on Friday, June 13th at about 2:30 PM.
I had stayed in Camrose the night before in order to be fitted for a gown for a ceremony that I will be part of in September.
Ladies, if you are in need of a formal gown Tish's Fashions & Finery in Camrose is the place to go! Wow what incredible service - but more on that another day, I promise.
Back to Two Hills and my reason for being there, the Run to the Hills Memorial Bike Rally....
In Beaver County, just before the little community called Viking, there was BRAND NEW black top, about 10 K worth, not a whisper of wind and amazing blue skies.
What a happy, happy place to be!
I pulled in to the grocery store in Two Hills to meet up with my girlfriend Laurie from Fort Saskatchewan. She had picked up the order of Scavenger Hunt Maps that Staples had printed for us. All 20,000 of them, her poor little Ford Thunderbird sports car!
Well, we set about dropping off maps to lighten her load and then went to the Two Hills Inn for some Chinese for lunch. Lemon Chicken and Special Fried Rice! As usual the portions were so huge that Laurie took enough leftovers home for her and her hubby to have for super!
Although the Two Hills Inn is an old building, Julie and her hubby, Chow, have renovated all of the rooms and they are really decent rooms, with individual air conditioners, bathrooms, albeit small ones in each room, comfy beds and a really good price point.
After our scarf, we headed down to the rally site at Galeta Park and dropped off a ton of the maps in the beer gardens so that the various advertisers could pick up their share of the maps for distribution.
There had been vicious rain the night before but low and behold, there were motorhomes, toy haulers and tents everywhere. Easily 300+ people were already here!
Laurie and I headed over to the Junction Inn which is where I would be staying this year for the rally.
I had my favourite room, #107 on the ground floor.
Laurie had to head back to Fort Saskatchewan so we said our good byes and I proceeded to get settled in my room when all of a sudden the thunder hit and a few minutes later, so did the hail. That was followed by 2-3 minutes of a total deluge, an absolute down pour....
On Friday night the rally serves up a welcome dinner as part of your rally fee, and this year was no different except that lightning had knocked out the power to the better part of the entire town for about an hour and as a result dinner was late getting underway.
Josee Milroy and her team of volunteers including Twiggy did an amazing job serving up ham, veggies, lazy cabbage rolls, buns, salad....
Music got underway with Anthony Poirier the one man band and people started coming in from their soggy campsites to listen to him. The Steven Spencer band came on at about 10 pm and rocked the house out. When my time to hit the hay came I took the shuttle sponsored by Wing Shot Guiding Service over to my motel room and closed the door on an amazing day.
Weather people don't seem to have a very good handle on the weather, it had been calling for partly cloudy and 22 on Saturday, but that never materialized until Sunday. (At least everyone had a nice ride home weather wise!) The sun finally came out late Saturday afternoon/early evening, but the temperature never hit 22 and the wind was cold and bitter.
In spite of Mother Nature's hissy fit, the riders just kept coming, and coming and the unofficial head count was about 485 people registered, down from 700+ of the year before, but still an admirable and respectable number!
Of course the poor ice-cream vendor didn't sell a lot of ice cream, but the mini donut vendor did a decent trade. MJ Hearing didn't do big business, but the Golden Gopher Tattoo Studio & Cafe in Derwent (Reneta and Dana) worked their fingers off until the wee hours of the night on both Friday and Saturday and Dana was tattooing on Sunday morning!
Tara Allen was on hand with her massage studio and there was a gal there selling skull candles - Wicked Wanda was selling her leather gear and managing sales of the Run to the Hills Memorial Rally gear and Wayside Fallen Riders Park gear and The Bear Biker Wear was also on hand as usual - Bear and Penny are a joy to be around!
Lots of bikes entered the Show 'n' Shine, mud and all, about 350-400 took in the roll call with Pastor Wes as the of 28 names of lost love ones were read out after a short sermon and there were about 40 brave souls who went out on the poker run.
While people were out on the poker run, I helped Bob get the rodeo games set up and generally ran around for him, pitching in where I could. You see Bob is the Vice President of the Canadian Motorcycle Tourism Association that I am executive Director of and so we help each other out, a lot.
After the rodeo games, which were shorter than normal thanks to the wet ground conditions and the ensuing safety concerns, I caught up with some good friends and was invited for a feast of corn, roasted potatoes and baked BBQ'd pork chops. Joey Carruthers Csapo, you rock!
There was a wedding happening, but word throughout the campground was that the wedding party did not really want the rest of the rally goers to attend, so many just stayed in the camping area while the wedding party were riding around honking their horns and revving their throttles letting everyone know they were part of the wedding.
The wedding party held a dinner and the $10 per plate they were asking for went to the Rally as a thank you for providing them the venue, music, etc....again, because a rumour had circulated very few from the camping area attended which sadly hurt how much the rally earned, but it is what it is and I know Bob was grateful for the gesture!
There were a whole host of wonderful people from the community of Two Hills doing security - the Fire Department, town and county had a number of volunteers working their butts off and the gals that were running the bar were phenomenal.
Heck earlier in the day the mayor had come out to welcome us all and to thank Bob and the whole Rally Committee for everything they do through the motorcycle community that aides Two Hills town and county so much.
The Fire Chief for the county, Brad Straty rides and volunteered in security, and one of the longest serving members of the Ag Society, Cleta Dieken attended the rally on her bike. Sherry Baker, the manager of the Junction Inn loves riding and volunteered on the shooter bar, Deb Tupetchka a town councillor was on the gate with her mom handling registrations. In fact county employees and volunteers from other organizations in Two Hills were all taking part in helping this rally succeed.
Out of all of the volunteers though, Ricky is probably the best loved of all them all, as this man who has his challenges, is the most friendly ambassador a community could ask for and as usual he was out keeping the grounds clean. Ricky's smile, hugs and hand shakes are well received by all!
Throttle Up was the band for Saturday evening and man, those guys managed to pull people out of the campground in large numbers!
After Miss Charlie Vegas, the burlesque dancer did her routine - which was incredible given the small stage for her to perform on, I brought Rita around with me to sell raffle tickets.
Well that little beaver ended up being a real money maker and together we made over $300 for the Memorial Rally's coffers in about an hour and a half!
One of Bob's volunteers is a gal named Sue Tchakuk and when I asked, she brought me 8 boxes of crayons. She liked this idea I had of holding an adult colouring competition!
We divided the crayons up into beer glasses and started handing out the scavenger hunt maps, you see Road Trip Rita is featured on the back of the Two Hills Scavenger Hunt Map!
The prize for this contest?
A shot of Jack Daniels....
What we didn't expect was the number of people who coloured my beaver and the number who actually submitted their creations for judging!
Bob Ross chose the winning entry by Sharon and Nadine.
I laughed until I cried at the good old fashioned, tongue in cheek adult humour.
My face and tummy hurt from laughing so hard.
Afterward, we danced, and we had fun and we laughed and that's why everyone loves this rally - everyone has FUN - there are no fights, and
Ricky - The BEST Volunteer
when people do get a tad carried away as they are want to do sometimes, they all listen to Bob and they knock it off.
There are no attitudes and no campgrounds left dirty for someone else to clean.
And you know what...this rally attracts that kind of respectful person, no matter their age.
This year saw all kinds of young, fresh faces, and they exhibited those same qualities, and that says al lot about what the rally committee, the town and county of Two Hills is doing right, TOGETHER. Promoting a welcoming attitude based in respect, and they get that respect back.
Funny how that works huh!
The Run to the Hills Memorial Bike Rally in Two Hills Alberta, Canada's FIRST Most Rider Friendly Community winner!
This is a rally you need to come and experience. WARNING....it will steal your heart and cause you to be a repeat attender!
Did you know that here in Alberta we pay two to sometimes four times more for road tests than any other province? It is privatized right now, but the province is considering taking it back.
Makes a person wonder how the fees are allocated. It's obvious that some of it goes to the examiner, and helps to pay for insurances that protect the tester and the testee.
Information gathered from one registry in Southern Alberta says that the Road Test is 90.00, and then you also have to pay an additional 22.45 for the license, then you will be a Class 5 GDL Driver. Once you are ready to graduate out of the GDL program the test is 150.00 and then 22.45 for the license. That's a total of 285.00 for testing and licensing, and that's if you pass on your first go around-and that rarely happens.
It gets expensive for a person who has teenagers who do not pass on their first try, leaving them to wonder why does it have to be so expensive. Maybe there should be a lower fee for a second and third try. Is this a money grab, it sure seems like it.
With the privatization of Driver Licensing comes other issues that have nothing to do with money. With there being no video recorders, there have been complaints of improper behavior during tests such as improper scoring, unsavory customer service and even sexual harassment. If that's the case, having a video recorder in the vehicle during testing should be mandatory. And a "Permission Slip" should be signed by test takers over 18 years old and by the guardians of those under 18 years of age. We shouldn't look at that as an invasion of privacy, but as a means of protecting ourselves and our children should anything happen that we don't want to.
Perhaps things will be different if and when the province takes back Driver Testing making it less expensive and safer for those taking the tests.
As an Albertan what are your thoughts????
By Marnie Thibodeau
Guest Blogger
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