Ride Review -- Ride The Coast 2012 | Beer, Motorcycles and Cigars -- Beer, Bikes and Butts

Ride Review — Ride The Coast 2012

Each year the Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Ana sponsor a police-escorted ride in the Orange County area. This is I think the fifth time I’ve been on the ride, and while it has always been a favorite, they continue to impress me.

First is the ride itself. In one past year I recall, calling this “Ride the Coast” was a bit of a stretch because the coastal leg of the ride was pretty short. This year, they took us up to seal beach and all the way down to Culver. It was a great ride with perfect weather, with only one place where we stopped moving due to some congestion. Even when an ambulance approached from the rear, the escort kept us moving while clearing a lane for the ambulance.

Last year, the ride ended at Irvine Lake where there was a Blues Festival. That was very cool, and I liked the VIP option so I could get some brews and get out of the sun under the VIP tent. This year was more egalitarian. No VIP option that I saw, and we all ended up at Original Mike’s in Santa Ana. I thought having 500 bikers show up at a bar would be pure mayhem, but Original Mike’s is a huge place, absorbing the crowd and getting us all fed and watered without a hitch. Extra cool, they sell cigars, and smoking is permitted on the patio.

I do a number of organized, fundraiser rides every year, and this continues to be my favorite.