| Pulling out of Ontario we made a pack about 2 or so miles long. I was in the back and that fairly well sucked. Some times we'd run at 90 and sometimes 20. The pack leader kept his speed at 5 under the limit but the pack would spread out for a bit then compact as everyone raced to catch back up. |
| We stopped in Needles, CA for lunch. It, like most of the meals, was provided. A local bar feeds the run every year. On the 10 day run you only have to buy 2 meals. About a quarter of the gas is free also. It was hot. When I looked at the thermometer on my bike before we left it was over 110 (it was sitting out in the sun though). In the park they had big barrels of iced down water for us. The big flag was flown everytime we went through a town. |
| Again they had us park in an organized manner so that we could pull out in one long line with a minimum of fuss. I really made out here. Just by luck I ended up about 10 rows back from the leaders and didn't have to put up with all the hassel of being in the back. The next day I volunterred to be on the "Gas Crew." We would leave about 20 minutes before the pack and as there were only about 12 of us there wasn't any problem with keeping together. Fueling up 300 or so bikes is a big deal. What the Gas Crew did was man 6-10 of the pumps at the stops. The bikes would pull up 2 abreast. We didn't turn off the pumps between bikes but watched the amount and rounded it up to the next dollar. All the riders were supposed to carry ones and fives. When we got done we'd go in and pay off our pumps. The left over money went help pay for the chase vehicles' gas. We had several trucks with trailors following in case of breakdowns or whatever. We could 300 bikes filled up in 10-12 minutes. |
| We stopped for lunch at the American Legion in Holbrook, AZ. Five minutes after this was taken the place was packed with eating bikers. |