Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Gypsy Run 3. Another one in the books
The Gr was awesome. Anyone that missed it really missed out on a great time. Day one brought rain. Lots of it. 270+ miles of it to be exact. But that didn't deter the hardcore MFr's from showing up at the Cool Beans Coffe Shop in Oradell, NJ (great place to grab a cup of joe and a snack by the way). We left in the rain, ate in the rain, got gas in the rain, got lost in the rain. It was awesome. We made it to Vermont at dark. Rain suits may as well have been made out of tissues. They don't do much on a fenderless chopper I guess. GR frontman Walter Gemeinhardt got us all out of the rain that night by sweet talking the owner of an old horse race track. We slept in the main floor that night and had a few hours out of the rain. Thanks to the owner for letting a bunch of dirtbags in out of the rain. You saved our asses for sure. And letting us hang and party inside was great too. Day 2 saw more rain. Although not as bad as day 1. It was actually a pleasure to ride in it after the first day. There were spots of fairly dry pavement and visibility was way better. Rolling into camp 2 we picked up Shawn from Canada. He rode 2700 miles to join up with the run. This dude is hard as nails. Solo trip on a Honda 450 rigid chop from Calgary. Talk about hardcore. And he wasn't even halfway through his trip when he got there. There was a "gentlemen's club" down the street from the camp for those seeking entertainment and the owner of the "ACE OF CLUBS" was a gracious host. All who attended the place had a good time. The attractions were top shelf, the beer was cold, and the owner even let one guy fix his bike inside the bar! Not sure what town that is but it's near Saugerties, NY on rt. 32. Tell Mike that the Gypsy Run sent you.
After more partying and bike fixing at camp 2 it was a night of wet camping and dreams of clear skies. And dreams can come true. 20 miles into day 3 brought beautiful blue skies all day. Hard riding and the best roads NY and NJ have to offer. Did I even mention Michael Lichter yet? Holy shit. We had the honor of having THE Michael Lichter join the ride this year. For those who don't know who he is, he has been photographing biker events and lifestyle for 30 years. You see his work all over easyriders magazine. And he chose to come with us on the run and shoot for 3+ days. He is a great guy and I enjoyed a bit of conversation with him. Nice to talk with you Mike. He is also crazy as hell for riding backwards (as a passenger) on bike to shoot all the riders on the road. The back roads of Sussex County NJ are awesome. The route was much fun. And it all ended in Hackensack, NJ. The Wingmen MC opened up their clubhouse for us to use for our party. They were awesome hosts. Special thanks to Ronnie and Darrin of the Wingmen for helping a couple guys get their bikes fixed and letting us use the shop and tools. Above and beyond the call for sure. You guys are what it's about. The party was great with beer and food, swag for the runners and the prizes for some choice participants. Best bike went to Brett for his shovel. Shawn got the long distance for his ride from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I forgot who won best best brit bike (The Joe Scraper Almost Memorial Best Brit Bike Award). And the Bad Mother Fucker Award went to Heather from Maryland. She has less than a year on bike and rode up to the run, hung through all the weather, froze her ass off with us, crashed on slick tarred roads, and still kept up and rode every mile while smiling. She earned it.
Now if you missed, well then you missed a good time. It wasn't an easy ride but I think we all feel stronger for doing it. You have no excuses for not coming with us so don't even try. Just get busy getting ready for next year. Gypsy Run 4 will be bigger better and more fun than ever!