Beer, Motorcycles and Cigars — Beer, Bikes and Butts

Today was my third time going on the annual Ride the Coast charity ride to raise money for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Ana.  This is one of my favorite rides every year because it is entirely police escorted.  The ride is relatively short — just 70 miles this year — but from start to finish you get to blow through every red light you encounter, as the Santa Ana Police Officers stop traffic at every intersection.  They even stopped all traffic on the Garden Grove Freeway so that we could ride that portion unencumbered.  Obama’s motorcade has nothing on us baby! 

This year I finally remembered to bring a camera so that I could grab some photos to festoon the blog.  So I’m rolling along at 50 or 60 mph, keeping just one hand on the handlebars because the other is taking pictures.  Just when I’m thinking that the bikers behind me might not appreciate this riding style, one of them pulls up along side and gestures for me to hand him my camera.  From his pantomiming, I take it he is offering to take my picture, but I also suspect he might just take the camera and say, “you’ll get this back at the end, now use both hands asshole,” which actually would have been pretty funny and probably deserved.  I take a chance and do an in-flight hand-off of the camera.  True to his word (actually, gesturing), he takes a couple of pictures and hands back the camera.  Thanks for the great picture, whoever you were.  I’m very impressed you could figure out my camera while driving at freeway speed.

The ride ended at Irvine Lake, where there were multiple booths set up with things bikers would be interesed in, including beer and cigars, proving that I am not the only one who has spotted the natural synergy between beer, motorcycles and cigars (not all at the same time, of course).

As always, click on any of the photos for a larger view.

 

 

 

 

Posted on June 28th, 2009 by Aaron Morris
Filed under: Motorcycles, Rides