From the only one of the Throwbacks to make the Saturday ride, here's my report:
Starting with the perfect weather that dabbled between 65 degrees as I rolled out of Grass Valley at 8am to the 85 degrees as we hit the alpine water of Sugarpine Reservoir, not a bead of sweat fell from my brow until negotiating the posted 5 MPH switchbacks of Iowa Hill Road. And it had nothing to do with ambient temp, it was sweat from considering the stakes if my Triumph's single 7 inch rear brake shoe or any of its components failed! Trying to keep up with Rory on his Sportster Scrambler certainly proved a challenge, and he was [I]two[/I]-up!
A cold beer at the bar on top of Iowa Hill (if anyone can answer the query of how you keep beer cold without electricity on top of a hill, open your own bar somewhere else, these people somehow do it!) and a mad dash back to Colfax and civilization via the most scenic canyon road I've seen in some time. Considerably refreshed we jammed back via the shortest, fastest route to HQ - the Grange Hall - for kegs of NAFTA Beer (domestic tastes on both sides of the contested US/Mexico Border were met) and some leftover cookies and spaghetti.
A big Thank You goes out here to Gabe's much better half, Lois, who whipped up some of the best background grub I've had this far from the dirty South. Hand-beaten biscuits, gooey cookies, killer salad (not that iceburg and ranch crap), all-day beans, the list goes on. Even grilled veggies to compliment Gabe's outstanding effort at the helm of his masterpiece; the Merrimack! What a grand Ironclad she is, capable of handling not only gargantuan tri-tip, but likewise smoking tube steaks with aplomb! Only Gabe himself could design such a contraption (experience help much?)
Beyond the food and drink, the overall atmosphere was perfect. No breaks in the shade in the 2 acre milling area surrounding the Hall, there was little need to venture indoors save to sample some of the treats Lois was preparing or swig some harder libations. The crowd was the best I've gotten to mingle with in some time, and no attitudes anywhere. Everyone had a great time, the raffle made a lot of people happy, and the shenanigans continued long after I stumbled home.
jealous
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