Three Years and Counting
by Noemi Berry
I had to go on this tour.
Three years ago, I nervously arrived at the Iron Skillet Restaurant
for a ride, at the time not even aware of the existence of BMW clubs.
I'd ridden for just about a year and had had my first BMW, my '83
R65LS for just two months and wanted to try a new group to ride
with, though I felt very shy about imposing myself upon a group of
strangers.
But I was overwhelmed to bewilderment at the warm greeting I
got from the club members! Jonathan Jefferies was Tour Captain; we
knew of each other through a mutual acquaintance. Ray Trujillo took
me under his wing and made sure I felt comfortable by riding in
front of me all day. Don Allison swept, which I also assumed hewas
doing just for me. It never occurred to me that people would sweep
and take care of new riders just *because*. I couldn't believe it -- I
was a welcome addition rather than an imposition! Everyone was
warm and encouraging and made me feel right at home.
That tour went along Uvas Road to Hecker Pass to Elkhorn Road to
Laureles Grade to Carmel Valley village, where we had lunch. After
lunch, we took the road that never disappoints, Carmel Valley Road,
to Arroyo Seco to catch-me-if-you-can Metz Road to King City for gas,
then Bitterwater Road to Hwy 25 into the Pinnacles.
Three years, and many rides, meetings, rallies, experiences and
R65s later; the month, tour, meeting place, route, tour captain,
destination and my bike were all the same. This tour marked my
three-year anniversary of my start with the NorCal club.
But the similarities between the two tours end with the logistics.
Only sentiment dragged me out of bed in the dark and compelled me
to put on all my gear and ride out in pounding rain. Inexplicably, I
arrived at the Iron Skillet at 8am, and watched water in the parking
lot grow from a puddle to a small pond. At 8:55 I gave up and
gathered myself to leave. Enough of this, the rain hasn't slowed
down, no one's shown up anyway. Good, I'll go home, glue my butt to
the couch and curl up with a good movie.
Instants before I got on my bike, Bill Jarvis pulled up, soon
followed by John Caramagno. This was an anniversary for John too,
since he'd been admitted as a club member on this same ride three
years before, when I'd first met him. Then Jonathan arrived, and
showed consternation at this relatively extensive turnout, given the
conditions. No bailouts, sorry Pops!
The rain only pounded down harder while indecisiveness delayed
us, but finally the hard-core bunch decided to go on to Carmel and
see how the weather was. I'd set my sights on going home, but John
said, "Really? You never wimp out of rides!" and went on to retell the
story of the time I rode home from the Paradise meeting after
dinner. Oh, OK, I'm here, I'll go on to Carmel. I'd just have to
postpone my rendezvous with a quart of ice cream until later.
By the time we arrived in Carmel, the rain had stopped and the
sky showed scattered signs of blue. After a hearty lunch, I was
uplifted by the tentative sunshine, and so rode on with the tour to
Carmel Valley Road. By now this wonderful road was mostly dry,
and beautiful. California is showing signs of entering its short green
season, and though we've all been on those roads before, we slowed
down and stopped to look at the rolling hills with the green peeking
through, and at the marvelous birdlife.
One thing about riding with a bunch of men for a while is that in
time they lose certain social graces, such as those surrounding the
postlunch roadside whiz. I guess I'm just one of the guys now, since
Jonathan didn't even bother to walk behind a tree, though at least he
turned around. John Caramagno, never one to miss an opportunity
for a practical joke, motioned for me to go stand next to Jonathan,
thinking it would be a particularly amusing photo for me to pose as
though I was joining him in contributing my essence to nature.
Unfortunately, I didn't catch on in time to position myself like a man,
but nevertheless, whatever John got should make for an entertaining
snapshot! Jonathan just can't seem to stay out of trouble when it
comes to dropped drawers and cameras.
It started to cloud up again as we headed north on Hwy 25, but
didn't rain. Just as we turned off for the Pinnacles, Greg Hutchison
pulled up, bestowing upon Jonathan the once-in-a-lifetime honor of
arriving with more people than he left with!
The one other difference between this tour and the one three
years ago is that last time, we were treated to Jim Luke's delicious
chunky soup. It was so memorable that I'll never arrive at a
meeting again without lamenting the usual cold, dry snacks. Also,
this time there was no John Joss to snoop around my front tire and
report on its
condition.
But I can't complain: except for the weather, this was an ideal
tour. No accidents, tickets, breakdowns, no one separated, left
behind or lost (even the Tour Captain)! Even the stinky weather
begrudged us a few moments of glorious rain-free riding.
This tour marked three years of rides, rallies, parties, lots of
growth and change, and lots of new friendships. But, like fine wine,
those friendships only get better with age. Thanks for a great three
years, NorCal, and here's to many more!
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