Would I Belong to a Club That Would Have Me as a
Member?
by Eloth Burnes
Well it happenedŠon March 30th at Plaskett Creek the BMW Club
of Northern California let me in. I had spent the six months since my
first meeting at Mammoth Lakes lobbying friends and others (even
offering bribes--that's why I brought my checkbook to the March
meeting) and that paid off. It is hard being nice to everyone for six
months. I was even pleasant to Linda Miller when she said I was
"nice" while describing others as beautiful people.
The whole weekend experience was great. The weather was
sunny, clear but not too hot. I left home riding my R80, with my
husband Terry on our R100R, son Preston (riding behind dad) and
our neighbor Noel Stevens on his R100. We rode south on 101 to
Gilroy where we had breakfast with the Tour and Don Allison. Well,
the Tour was there about two minutes then they took off. Don had
planned to go with them but while dehelmeting at Denny's his
glasses came apart so he had a leisurely breakfast with us and then
headed to the local Woolworth's for a glasses repair kit - it's that
little screw that always falls out.
Because I was afraid of riding on the outside lane along Highway
1, from Gilroy we ended up on Highway 25 to King City. There was no
traffic, just lots of green land and the four of us. In King City we took
a break before heading over Nacimiento-Ferguson Road to Highway
1. When discussing this portion of the trip with Club members prior
to the ride they all paused, took a deep breath and said "Are you
aware of the hazards of that road? Are you sure you want to ride
that?" With all of those positive thoughts in mind I rode that stretch
of road at what felt like about 10 miles an hour. Peeking down at the
ocean from atop Nacimiento-Ferguson was spectacular and worth the
gravel, approaching cars and S curves. In retrospect I don't think it
was as nerve-wracking as riding the back side of Sonora Pass to the
Mammoth meeting in September.
Before heading to the campground we stopped for an expensive
lunch at Gorda. We found a table outside and while waiting for our
meal were entertained by a couple of whales passing offshore.
At the meeting I was uncomfortable standing in front of the
membership answering questions about myself (I've never been
quick on my feet). Then I had to make small talk with John
Caramagno while people voted on my membership. It was equally
hard to stand around after the vote waiting for Ray Trujillo to
remember to announce the results. During this time my husband
kept mouthing something like "I voted against you."
I really am thrilled about becoming a member of the BMW Club of
Northern California. Motorcycling, in one respect, has been a way for
me to begin to overcome the fear of doing something new and
somewhat dangerous. Who knows, maybe next I will be able to walk
across the Royal Gorge bridge in my home state of Colorado instead
of laying in the backseat of the car with a pillow over my head or
look down over the edge of the Grand Canyon or rock climb without
hitting that "wall."
I appreciated the hugs, handshakes and congratulations I received
after the meeting as well as all the help I received as a beginning
rider (which I am still). I love belonging to a group that has so many
women who ride and participate.
And now that I am a member and can say whatever I
please--well I think you are all a bunch ofŠbeautiful people, except
for Linda Miller--she's nice.
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