Ecn Memorial Ride - NorCal / Sierras - July 22

Been thinking about doing this for a while...the one year anniversary seems fitting.

Back story: Ed (ecn) was one of the hardcore NorCal VFRD riders - he joined pretty much every ride we ever did in the last 5 years. Dude rode like a demon rain or shine, camped like a boss, and had a cracking sense of humor at brisket stops. A genuinely nice guy who seemed to spend every moment on his 5th gen.

On July 3rd, 2016 Ed was leading a small group of riders through a construction zone and was hit head-on by an SUV. He survived, but eventually succumbed to his injuries in December 2016. The full story can be found here: 

I (and many of you I'm sure) have been affected by Ed's accident and passing - personally I've been riding much less, and being more cautious when I do. But let's be honest - that's not what Ed would want. He'd want us all out there shredding in the mountains, making dick jokes, eating BBQ and doing what the NorCal VFRD crew does. So let's do just that in his honor.

I'm thinking a "Sierras Greatest Hits" ride - overnighter if people are up for it -  Quincy, Gold Lake, Feather River Highway, Wentworth/Icehouse, 108, Monitor...I see you salivating already. 

Something like this: 

Day 1 (overnighter): https://goo.gl/maps/ymxwQ31VGuQ2

Day 2 (overnighter): https://goo.gl/maps/9TKr4cU9PMC2

Or single day if your nagging wife won't let you leave for two whole days: http://mapq.st/2shVpAk

Please chime in if you're interested in the 22nd (or 23rd as an alternate), and add a note if you're up for an overnighter. We'll sort the final plan based on that. Looking forward to seeing all you hooligans again.

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IN:

BrianF (overnighter)

St. Stephen (overnighter, turning 27)

RC1237V (overnighter)

crazybrother (birthday boy)

RichVee4 (Interceptor)

Monicai3 (Triumphant)

tc339 (overnighter)

bayarearider (sort-of overnighter)

MAYBE:

Duc2V4 (has a job)

OUT:

jeffyjeff (continentally incongruous) 

jlpvfr (celebratorily indisposed) 

Oh I will do my very best to make this! Like many times I've had to miss events, project schedules seem to be the highest hurdle! I'll know more as July progresses but I'm aiming to be there!

Won't be able to make this one, due to the fact that I am eight time zones away from you guys.  But I'll be with you in spirit.  Thanks for posting this ride, Brian,  I'll be following this thread with interest.  I remember the first time I met Ed.  It was on one of those French Meadows Dam rides and I had been doing my best to keep up.  I was riding my 98 and our bikes were pretty close, serial # wise.  I asked how long he had the bike, to which he replied "about nine months."  How long you been riding, Ed?  "About nine months."   I just looked at him in shock and awe.  He was such a personable fellow, but he was fearless.  

2 hours ago, jeffyjeff

but he was fearless.  

This. TC and I had a good laugh once about Ed's riding style - I think right after the French-Meadows-Dam-late-braking incident. That's part of why it was shocking to hear he got taken out in the simplest - and in the grand scheme of speedy street riding, least dangerous - of situations. 

Makes me think of Nicky Hayden in a way. 

Well, July 22nd is my birthday so...of course I'm in. One day or two.

Brian thanks for stepping up and posting this. Definitely the greatest hits, including #1 with a bullet.

bayarearider, rc1237v, and ecn, left to right. Last time I saw Ed.

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I'm in! Not only does it look like some tasty riding, it will knock a few more roads off my "Bucket List"

Bought a Giant Loop Coyote bag, a tent and a micro-lite cot over the holidays and have not used any of them yet. Also have the two side hard cases as well, but still no liners - my wallet is still sore from the luggage purchase. 

- I can't think about riding the Sierras without Ed popping into my mind, as he and rode out and back together last time. I too think about that "possibility" before any rides, especially road trip rides.

RIP Ed

This is the first that I heard of Ed passing, I too will miss him. I know that he will be with us... I think I can make it, not sure about the overnight. July 22 is my Birthday too... :cheerleader:

I don't get any notifications from VFRD so you guy's will have to text me if anything changes.

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1 hour ago, crazybrother

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Those are some pretty nice pics. Where'd you get em?  :goofy:

I'm in as a maybe right now. Had a fishing trip planned but I think I'd rather do this. I'm gonna see about bailing on the fishing and hopefully will be joining you guys. Either for the one day or overnight. Whichever ends up happening

BTW, if I do make it, most likely I'll be riding up on Friday and staying the night Saturday and returning home on Sunday. Crossing fingers at the moment and hopefully will be at a place in my project where my employee can handle the remaining task, if any!

Fyi, for all you photo guru's that use photobucket:  

When you link a photo from photobucket to VFRD, this is what the rest of the world sees.  Only photobucket subscribers can see the "enabled 3d party images".  OK, so I went to the website to enable the images and found that it requires an annual subscription at $59.99.  no  thanks.

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Sad topic and a strange coincidence that July 22nd is my birthday as well. Is this a requirement? 

And since it is my birthday I have made other plans, will miss the ride.

jeffyjeff, 7/10/2017 at 2:31 AM

Fyi, for all you photo guru's that use photobucket:  

When you link a photo from photobucket to VFRD, this is what the rest of the world sees.  Only photobucket subscribers can see the "enabled 3d party images".  OK, so I went to the website to enable the images and found that it requires an annual subscription at $59.99.  no  thanks.

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#DropBox

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ok4hvu1jpmd2v3c/AACS3UIuinXLcDaWjdSn0x5xa?dl=0

Am I the only one NOT born on the 22nd.........?

Awesome pics, now I don't need to go.............but if I have the chance..............I will.......

Brian, any ideas on the overnight location?

RC1237V, 7/11/2017 at 8:05 PM

Brian, any ideas on the overnight location?

Auburn. It's 375 miles or so from Napa assuming we use the route in post 1. 

They have plenty of hotels and it will be easy for single-day people to leave Sat or arrive early on Sun since it's on I-80. 

Plus I hear it's a good place for eating BBQ and 12 slices of pizza haha

Glad I checked the forum today and saw this ride.  I think a memorial ride is a great idea and share similar feelings about the passing of Ed.  He will be missed and was one of the most passionate riders I've had the pleasure of knowing, you could always count on him with his red VFR being part of the group.   Would like to join the ride and see some old friends and share some memories.   In usual fashion I/we will intercept the group somewhere along the route for a day ride out of Reno.  I will look over the route and figure out where best we can join you.  

One of my favorite pics on my first Gold and Silver state ride with Ed.

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BrianF, 7/14/2017 at 0:46 PM

Auburn. It's 375 miles or so from Napa assuming we use the route in post 1. 

They have plenty of hotels and it will be easy for single-day people to leave Sat or arrive early on Sun since it's on I-80. 

Plus I hear it's a good place for eating BBQ and 12 slices of pizza haha

So we are staying the night in Auburn... As usual I have a Cousin and his wife that live there... :goofy:  Is everyone staying in Motels or is anyone camping?

4 hours ago, crazybrother

So we are staying the night in Auburn... As usual I have a Cousin and his wife that live there... :goofy:  Is everyone staying in Motels or is anyone camping?

But do you know all of the local CHP? Asking for a friend haha

You gonna do the overnighter or meet us there? I'm definitely staying in a hotel. Not enough room on the 6th for camping stuff. 

11 hours ago, RichVee4

In usual fashion I/we will intercept the group somewhere along the route for a day ride out of Reno.

Sounds good, just lemme know. Always happy to have you guys join us. Can modify the route slightly too if needed.

WILL POST THE SATURDAY MORNING MEETING POINT LATER THIS WEEK, AS WELL AS PM EVERYONE MY CELL # (although I think everyone has it)

I think that i'm going to stay overnight. We can share a room if anyone already has one booked. Which motel are we staying at?

Crossing my fingers about being able to go but the project deadline is on Friday and it's going to be really hard to make it unless I put in some really long days. We also might get an extension on some room deliveries so there's always that chance. I'll know more closer to the date.

Booked a room for the Penn./ So.Bay contingent

at Super 8 Auburn, near 80 & 49. 

Super 8 Auburn CA  140 E Hillcrest Dr, Auburn, CA 95603 US 844-813-8752

Sat is a work day for me but will meet you guys Sat pm. Looking forward to it. 

Post any changes. Thx!

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crazybrother, 7/15/2017 at 8:21 PM

I think that i'm going to stay overnight. We can share a room if anyone already has one booked. Which motel are we staying at?

Super 8 it is I guess!

19 minutes ago, BrianF

Super 8 it is I guess!

Taco Bell...walking distance ?

Brian, sorry that the anniversary is of sad occasion. Still, it is always good to get out for a ride. Hope you guys have a great time.

My trip in early July took me over some of your route so allow me to offer these road reports. As regards traffic & CHP, well, you're on your own  :tongue:

All these roads were in good shape and had no construction projects (July 3/4,  '17):

* Ca70/Ca89 Quincy to Graeagle

* Gold Lake Hwy: a little dusty but no showstoppers

* Ca49 Sierra City to Auburn: weird that some passing zones are so short

* Ca89: from Ca88 to US395: love, love, love Monitor Pass

* US395 to Ca108: from Walker to the junction is pretty entertaining

* Ca108 to Sonora: Strawberry Inn about the halfway point is a good place for a break. Lots of snow roadside atop Sonora Pass compared to the last few years

Btw, thanks for clueing me into a new route: Wentworth Springs/Ice House roads. I'll have to try 'em on next year's ride to Laguna Seca.

Lorne, don't bother with Ice House and Wentworth, Brian often comes up with goat trails that end up a big disappointment.   :wink:

Guys, the new bike is at the dealer for an extended stay, long story, so getting myself mentally ready for ~600 twisty miles, plus a couple of central valley crossings, on the RC. And how to squeeze two or three days of luggage into the tail cowl...

But I'll be there. You only turn 27 once.

1 minute ago, St. Stephen

Lorne, don't bother with Ice House and Wentworth, Brian often comes up with goat trails that end up a big disappointment.   :wink:

Guys, the new bike is at the dealer for an extended stay, long story, so getting myself mentally ready for ~600 twisty miles, plus a couple of central valley crossings, on the RC. And how to squeeze two or three days of luggage into the tail cowl...

But I'll be there. You only turn 27 once.

I'd argue that, but it's true about 99% of the time. The diamonds are surrounded by much rough. 

Just bring a small backpack and shove it in somebody else's top case like I do haha

If you need relief from the RC, I'm sure you'll find many volunteers... :biggrin:

Noel,

if you need to ride the sofa for bit I'm sure some of us will pull the DB killers and help you out... :squid:

6 hours ago, St. Stephen

Lorne, don't bother … Brian often comes up with goat trails that end up a big disappointment.   :wink:

? Stephen, exploring is sometimes a reward unto itself. Besides, from the look of Brian's photos ?, we see the world in a similar fashion.

Otoh, I took my pal for a jaunt on Santa Rosa Creek road and he was … not impressed. It is a real goat trail; narrow, broken pavement and no centre line. But I wanted to get a photo of the bikes from the spot where Motorcyclist magazine had all those great cover shots.

9 hours ago, St. Stephen

Guys, the new bike is at the dealer for an extended stay, long story, so getting myself mentally ready for ~600 twisty miles, plus a couple of central valley crossings, on the RC. And how to squeeze two or three days of luggage into the tail cowl..

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Bring nutpowder though and wear one of these padded bicicle undershorts..  :goofy:

Straps on an ST & T-case on a RVT. 

That's a first!

So, in order to accommodate our "special needs" members, I'm proposing to switch the route to do the southern end first.

That means our meeting point for Saturday is the usual Sierras jumpoff: STARBUCKS, 1451 Hulsey Way, Manteca

Meeting: 9am

KSU: 9:30am

Saturday: https://goo.gl/maps/PYUacHU41742

Sunday: https://goo.gl/maps/mvoSA1D2e2L2

If you have any objections or reservations about this, speak now or forever hold your peace (which I wish someone would've done at my wedding lol).

Everybody cool?

Gad Damn it.  I LOVE IT!!  

Thanks for keeping us in line, B.

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(what wedding?)

15 hours ago, Lorne

? Stephen, exploring is sometimes a reward unto itself. Besides, from the look of Brian's photos ?, we see the world in a similar fashion.

Lorne, this was just my lame attempt at an in-joke. If you skip those two roads on your next trip you will regret it. Forever.

12 hours ago, Dutchy

Bring nutpowder though and wear one of these padded bicicle undershorts..  :goofy:

Good advice! Dutchy, every time I see a pic of your RC it has inched just a bit closer to a gold wing.  :goofy:

45 minutes ago, BrianF

So, in order to accommodate our "special needs" members, I'm proposing to switch the route to do the southern end first.

Everybody cool?

Cool. Does this mean Duc might make the ride?

Turns our the RC has the same tank filler screw pattern as the VFR. Touring mode!

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32 minutes ago, St. Stephen

Cool. Does this mean Duc might make the ride?

As a side effect I suppose yes it would be easier for him if he can make it. Our short bus kids this time are Monica/Rich (who will probably meet us at Mt View BBQ and can't do Sunday), and Triscuit (who needs to jet on Sunday from the northernmost point. Makes sense since it doesn't seem to matter to the rest of us as far as I know.

1 hour ago, bayarearider

(what wedding?)

I was married once upon a time. I'm not now, so you can do the math on how well that went.

I exchange the burden of herding cats for pity when getting the group lost on ridiculous backroads.

Planning to meet the group similar to last year near Walker River, grab lunch with everyone and ride with you toward Auburn.   Thinking of the nice rain shower we had last year, we could use some rain now.  The smoke from the fire by Mariposa is hitting the area pretty bad right now.

Pic of Tahoe, hard to recognize it. 

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Well, not looking guys. We are close and actually got a slight extension but that means working over the weekend! If some miracle happens between now and Saturday, I'll let you all know but at this moment, looks like I'm out. :sad:   I'll be sure to raise a glass in honor of Ed this weekend! Have a good ride and come back safe guys.

Cheers,

D

3 hours ago, Duc2V4

Well, not looking guys. We are close and actually got a slight extension but that means working over the weekend! If some miracle happens between now and Saturday, I'll let you all know but at this moment, looks like I'm out. :sad:   I'll be sure to raise a glass in honor of Ed this weekend! Have a good ride and come back safe guys.

Cheers,

D

No sweat man, figured you were a long shot. If a miracle happens, just text me so we don't leave without you.

Nice improvement in air quality around Tahoe today.  Will see you all tomorrow!  Bummer you cant make it Duc.

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Hey Guys,

     I will not be joining until later in the day. If I leave here around noon~ish, I will do the route backwards until we meet. If I can't leave until later in the day, I will try to hook up with Greg, and see you in Auburn in the evening.

Jim

891 miles door-to-door. Shoutout St. Stephen for putting in 900+ miles on the RC51.

Speed limits ignored, brisket eaten, no breakdowns no tickets no crashes. Ed would approve - RIP buddy.

To honor a legend, great job guys!!  :beer:

Great time had by all...

Cheers!  Always a great time riding with you guys.

On the RC's admittedly optimistic odometer it was 1001 miles in 39 hours. Great roads to ride and a great crew to ride with. Here's to Ed.

No pictures ha it didn't happen. lol 

23 hours ago, BrianF

891 miles door-to-door. Shoutout St. Stephen for putting in 900+ miles on the RC51.

Speed limits ignored, brisket eaten, no breakdowns no tickets no crashes. Ed would approve - RIP buddy.

Nice..  Thanks for putting this together, Brian, and thanks for honoring Ed. 

Day 2:

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That boulder looks more comfortable than the RC51 seat  :goofy:

Nah, it is not THAT bad......

Allow me to expand on the Butte pic

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Who's Next...shout out to Noel

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And when it's too damn hot to just pass through. Do as the locals and start a Sierra loop first!

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Bring your swim ware boys and girls...

5 hours ago, bayarearider

Who's Next...shout out to Noel

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I got that Who's Next reference but I have to admit it took a few minutes!

Just to prove this ride wasn't just boys acting badly, left to right Multistrada, Hypermotard, Sprint 1050 and 6th gen:

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thepretender, 7/24/2017 at 8:58 PM

No pictures ha it didn't happen. lol 

I gotchu.

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Not necessarily my best work but whatever. 

Great pics, accompanying music/lyrics in my head would be Pink Floyd's "wish you were here"...

Well sh*t guess it happened. Nice shots. Damn it Duc had been able to make it I probably would have joined him for this :(

Guess I'll have to wait till fall to come up that way and shoot some pics of fall color in the eastern Sierras. 

I would have taken pics of where I was working this weekend but pics of my home office would be a bit boring in comparison! Looks like I missed another great time. :sad:

Awesome pics Brian--- thanks for sharing


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yep, great pic's as usual... :cheerleader: Wish I was there... Oh wait I was...(Day 1)

Wow, I missed a good one, Ed would have loved it! I swear I could see his smiling silhouette in a few of those pictures! 

My daughter is doing much better now, she was getting cabin fever from not leaving the house for 10 days (asthmatic bronchitis).

Looking forward to the Kernville, Gold/Silver State Classic!