Highway 39 was once one of the iconic streets in the Southland. It connects Whittier Boulevard, of cruising fame, to Pacific Coast Highway- the true Mother Road of California. When I was a kid growing up in La Habra Beach Boulevard was 26 miles of magic because it was the road to Huntington Beach. Surf City. It was August 1963, and I was 11 years old when we made the first trip down Beach Boulevard, riding in the back of Mrs. Meade's Comet Station wagon. I was a Michigan boy with my family on vacation. We had been to Disneyland, and Knott's Berry Farm. This would be the first time I would see the ocean, and I liked it better than Disneyland and Knott's put together. By Christmas of that year I'd be a California kid, and Beach Boulevard was walking distance from my house. We used to hitch hike down 39 when I was a teen. In my twenties I jammed down 39 in my VW bug with surfboards racked to the roof. In my forties I cruised it on the Harley.
Forty nine years, and many hundreds of trips down Beach Boulevard have pretty much killed the magic. Now it's eight lanes of jammed up traffic. Now there are far more stoplights than miles, and the ride to HB takes over an hour, and it is made in increments of yards. It is rare to drive one mile without stopping for a light. I have come to hate the drive.
But when Max and I kicked off the So Cal Rat Rod Ride I committed to one drive down Beach per month. Usually I'm a frustrated, pissed off wreck by the time I get to the corner of Brookhurst and Atlanta, and it takes me a good half hour to decompress before the meet and greet.
But this Saturday was different. I woke up feeling good, and I had an odd feeling that this was going to be an exceptional day. I was right. We made it all the way to Huntington without me losing my temper in the crawl. And when we pulled up to the parking lot on Atlanta I just about howled I was so stoked. There were trucks, and bikes, and people all over. This would be the best attendance yet for the Rat Rod Ride. Most all the regular gang were there, along whole bunch of folks showing up for the first time.
The So Cal Rat Rod Ride is really taking off. We are an Event! This month was Newport/Balboa, and when we hit the beachside stretch of bike path I heard someone point us out, and say, "Hey look- a parade!" And that felt good. We reached Newport Pier, and stopped for the photo shoot just in time for a meet up The Others b/c San Diego chapter. Man, you want to talk about a show stopper. These guys have some world class customs, and they ride tight and straight. Truth to tell, they're kind of a scary lookin' bunch, but they are salt of the Earth good folks. Shout out to Alan Acosta, and the club. You definitely blew some minds. Look forward to riding with you guys some time soon.
And that brings me to the point of this rambling narrative. We have a group going. We're becoming a real part of this whole very cool 'bikester' scene here in So Cal. We're meeting new people and making new friends: Max and Ruth, Troy, Jim, Chuck and Maria, Henry, Jude, Mike- just to name some off the top of my head- we're all terrible at remembering names, but bit by bit we get those names and faces connected, and as we do, we make the connections that feed us where we truly live. 'Cuz yeah, of course it's about the bikes, and the riding- but the bikes and the riding are the bottles and cups. The people we meet and come to know are the wine that feeds us full of life.
The ride was a blast.
Unfortunately our lunch break plans were made when we had around a dozen or fewer riders, and we found ourselves in kind of an awkward situation with more people than we could get seated anywhere. Max and I talked it over today, and with next month's ride we'll have a much more flexible arrangement. We'll plan the future rides along the lines of what Frank and Bernard do with Cyclone Coasters. More on that at October's ride.
I know I promised a pic heavy thread here. Max has the photos, and he'll have them up shortly.
Thanks to all who showed up for the ride. Look forward to seeing you at Tour De Fat, and the October 13 So Cal Rat Rod Ride.
John M
