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{Denny's announcement update}
Weather is looking optimistic, with sun and scattered showers (wear your
rain gear).
1 Denny Zander - XS
2 Glenna Zander - XS
3 Geff Zander* - XS
4 Del Zander* - XS
5 Gary Berg - XJ
6 Mike Hart - XJ or Bandit
7 Johnny Yukon - XS
8 John Jones (maybe) - CBR
9 David Browne* - ??
10 Jeremy Sells* - ??
11 Jim in Tacoma(maybe) - XS
* riding up from Portland area, way to go!
route map:
{Gary Berg's report - photos added}
It's not supposed to happen this way. It's mid-April in
the Pacific Northwest. Strike one. An outdoor, all-day
event was planned. Strike two. For a Saturday. Strike
three, you're out. We should have been dumped on by
torrential rain, washed out to sea like trash in the
gutter.
Instead, the Zanders stepped up to the plate and hit a
grand slam. Beautiful weather, awesome scenery, great
riding, and as always, XSively good company.
{almost all here...}
The day started with an hour alone on the freeway to
Olympia, where Denny and Glenna were preparing the now
traditional PNW feast. A great barbeque, shop talk,
and introductions. We rolled out with 13 bikes and
headed north. Sweeping roads met us as we travelled
up Highway 101 along Hood Canal. A beautiful trip
and lots of sunshine. A few sprinkles as we passed
the Olympic Mountains, but nothing to worry about, just
enough to give the air that wonderful, clean spring smell.
We boarded the ferry from Kingston to Edmonds, where
we all gassed up for the trip back.
{Hi, Jason!}
{Denny, Geff, Del, Glenna, Dave, Jason, Gary Berg, Jim}
{Denny, Geff, Jeremy, Jennifer, Del}
Some of the group wanted to head into downtown Seattle
for a stop at Ivar's restaraunt. With the Mariners game
about to let out, I opted to avoid that particular episode
of hellacious traffic. Once on I-5, I moved left into the
HOV lane while most of the group travelled on. My last s
ight of the group was of Glenna dashing by, dicing through
4 lanes of traffic to catch Denny and the others.
My kind of gal!!
As I made my way past Safeco Field, I could see the game
was still going. Whew, avoided the traffic jam! Made my
way back down I-5 and home by around 4:30, with 210 miles
behind me. Many thanks to Denny and Glenna for opening
their home, and for everyone for attending. It was great!
Looking forward to many more this summer!
Gary 82XJ
{my report from that time, but with photos added}
I count the PNW Spring Opener a great success - the weather was
terrific, and the turnout likewise.
Denny and Glenna's (near) Olympia place is almost exactly halfway
between Seattle and Portland, a perfect spot. I put faces to XS list
names (as Denny said, "scary, but fun"), there were 5 people I hadn't
met before.
{3 of em are here}
{David Brown, John Jones, Glenna, Jennifer, Jeremy Sells, Del}
14 people on 13 bikes, not bad for a one-day event! 9 XS/XJ's, 2
Bandits, 1 CBR1000F, 1 Harley
{Glenna sez HEY! Those aren't XS11s!!!}
{Mike's Bandit, Johnny's Bandit, John's CBR1000F}
Portland: Del, Denny's brother Geff, Dave Brown, and Jeremy &
Jennifer
Tacoma and not too far further: Jason, Andy, Jim (Buddha's Ghost),
Gary Berg (hey Vicki - what up? Did Gary tell you that Glenna wasn't
all that happy that you didn't show? ;>) )
Seattle: Johnny Yukon, CBR John, myself (the non-xs contingent, which
also included Tacoma Andy on his Harley)
Olympia: The most excellent and ever gracious Denny and Glenna,
hosting again in their fine style.
Okay, it wasn't such a big adventurous ride, a mere 185 miles of Puget
Sound scenery, including a ferry ride from Kingston to Edmonds, but
the weather was great, the company even better, and a chance to meet
new people. It was early enough in the season that all the Harley
riders were waving to us, you know, the ones that can let one hand off
the bars...
Great to see Del (on his Blackberry Special, rather than his original
Standard) and to at last meet the 'other' Zander, Geff (on a Standard
remarkably similar to Denny's). Jeremy and Jennifer were a treat, I
really enjoyed hearing about the time he was stranded in Nanaimo, too
bad he didn't know the Busted Knuckle Garage wasn't far away. On a
one day ride (vs a 3 day weekend) I didn't get enough time to talk
more with Dave and Jim Jeremy and Jennifer, maybe next time. We made
Gary strip down his XJ so we could observe frame differences (there
are many) and he graciously obliged. I was wondering if an XS airbox
might fit in an XJ, but no. Others were wondering if the XJ seat or
tank might fit an XS... but no. At least, not without some
inventiveness and skill with the heat wrench. (Denny sez, "okay, I
have a 14mm handy... I sez, no need, the XJ seat comes off with a
KEY... dang, what those Yamaha engineers won't think of next)
Speaking of the BKG, Sid, this is for you: mostly a sedate pace, but
Denny did a fine wheelie coming into Kingston, and I caught air
hauling out after the leaders from a pit stop... and take heart, the
grill was BEFORE the ride, so the cooler had Root Beer, and the
like... so what did you really miss? I am guessing there was plenty
of barley sandwiches at the wedding, and am counting on you to report
on how you embarrassed yourself or someone else...
Jason and Andy rolled in just as we were all mounted and ready to set
out; Jim was headed toward Denny's as we were headed out; if he'd been
just 1 minute later, he'd have missed us. The Tacoma contingent,
being closest, arrived in a nick of time.
Good grill action on the deck, good weather, good ride, good folks...
XSiveness at it's finest.
Many thanks to Denny and Glenna for (again) being the center of so
much good stuff happening!
So, how many made it to the 'checkpoint' at Ivar's on the waterfront?
Mike / Seattle
Yamaha XJ1100J -1982
Suzuki GSF1200S - 1999
{Denny's follow-up report}
Getting off the Ferry, Mike, Johnny, and John cut out for home.
The rest of the gang gassed up and headed for I-5. Gary headed for home.
The I-5 traffic was the pits. Bumper to bumper. We eventually made it to
our desired exit. In the confusing traffic, we lost Dave Browne. We hope
he made it home OK (Dave, are you out there?).
We sat out doors at Ivor's, feasting on our seafood, talking about how we
were going to get out of this traffic hell we had ridden into. Jason and
Andy got back on I-5 and south to Tacoma. Jeremy and Jenifer also headed
for I-5 and their long ride back to Portland. Jim decided to try Hwy 99 (the
back way) to Tacoma.
Del, Geff, Glenna and myself decide to climb back on a ferry to avoid the
traffic. We took the 45 minute ride to Bremerton. Then down Hwy 3 to
Shelton and back on US101 to home. We rolled in around 7:30pm. We spent the
rest of the evening honoring our family ridding tradition. Drinking beer
and talking of the ride. It is always interesting to here the days events
from each persons perspective.
Del and Geff headed out 5:30am(yikes!) the next morning. They were riding
to Cannon Beach Oregon to pickup another check point.
Gary, Jason, Dave, and Jeremy, let us know you made it home OK.
Great friends, great weather, and fun ride. Let do it again. Hay Sid, how
about a North Sound Loop!
{Johnny's report}
The only sprinkles we saw were near the Dosewallips
entrance near Olympic Natl. Park. All of about 5 minutes worth..
It was great seeing a bunch of PNW folks again, along with some new ones.
Jeremy, Jennifer and Jim. Nice to
meet Denny's brother Geff too.
Denny and Glenna are such great hosts. There smiles were bigger than the
great Burger fest we had prior to the
South Sound loop Run!!
The ride was great! Sunny and warm for so soon in the
early Spring here! Never thought I'd see Denny do a wheelie on his XS, but
the facts are you really can!!!
Mike, John and I left the group after the ferry ride back to
Edmonds. The rest of the group headed South to Seattle
to stop at Ivars, a famous Seafood Establishment there.
As Ivar used to say Keep Clam!!!
A most enjoyable day!!!
Johnny Yukon
{thanks for looking - even small one-day rallies are 'official'
}
Weather is looking optimistic, with sun and scattered showers (wear your
rain gear).
1 Denny Zander - XS
2 Glenna Zander - XS
3 Geff Zander* - XS
4 Del Zander* - XS
5 Gary Berg - XJ
6 Mike Hart - XJ or Bandit
7 Johnny Yukon - XS
8 John Jones (maybe) - CBR
9 David Browne* - ??
10 Jeremy Sells* - ??
11 Jim in Tacoma(maybe) - XS
* riding up from Portland area, way to go!
route map:
{Gary Berg's report - photos added}
It's not supposed to happen this way. It's mid-April in
the Pacific Northwest. Strike one. An outdoor, all-day
event was planned. Strike two. For a Saturday. Strike
three, you're out. We should have been dumped on by
torrential rain, washed out to sea like trash in the
gutter.
Instead, the Zanders stepped up to the plate and hit a
grand slam. Beautiful weather, awesome scenery, great
riding, and as always, XSively good company.
{almost all here...}
The day started with an hour alone on the freeway to
Olympia, where Denny and Glenna were preparing the now
traditional PNW feast. A great barbeque, shop talk,
and introductions. We rolled out with 13 bikes and
headed north. Sweeping roads met us as we travelled
up Highway 101 along Hood Canal. A beautiful trip
and lots of sunshine. A few sprinkles as we passed
the Olympic Mountains, but nothing to worry about, just
enough to give the air that wonderful, clean spring smell.
We boarded the ferry from Kingston to Edmonds, where
we all gassed up for the trip back.
{Hi, Jason!}
{Denny, Geff, Del, Glenna, Dave, Jason, Gary Berg, Jim}
{Denny, Geff, Jeremy, Jennifer, Del}
Some of the group wanted to head into downtown Seattle
for a stop at Ivar's restaraunt. With the Mariners game
about to let out, I opted to avoid that particular episode
of hellacious traffic. Once on I-5, I moved left into the
HOV lane while most of the group travelled on. My last s
ight of the group was of Glenna dashing by, dicing through
4 lanes of traffic to catch Denny and the others.
My kind of gal!!
As I made my way past Safeco Field, I could see the game
was still going. Whew, avoided the traffic jam! Made my
way back down I-5 and home by around 4:30, with 210 miles
behind me. Many thanks to Denny and Glenna for opening
their home, and for everyone for attending. It was great!
Looking forward to many more this summer!
Gary 82XJ
{my report from that time, but with photos added}
I count the PNW Spring Opener a great success - the weather was
terrific, and the turnout likewise.
Denny and Glenna's (near) Olympia place is almost exactly halfway
between Seattle and Portland, a perfect spot. I put faces to XS list
names (as Denny said, "scary, but fun"), there were 5 people I hadn't
met before.
{3 of em are here}
{David Brown, John Jones, Glenna, Jennifer, Jeremy Sells, Del}
14 people on 13 bikes, not bad for a one-day event! 9 XS/XJ's, 2
Bandits, 1 CBR1000F, 1 Harley
{Glenna sez HEY! Those aren't XS11s!!!}
{Mike's Bandit, Johnny's Bandit, John's CBR1000F}
Portland: Del, Denny's brother Geff, Dave Brown, and Jeremy &
Jennifer
Tacoma and not too far further: Jason, Andy, Jim (Buddha's Ghost),
Gary Berg (hey Vicki - what up? Did Gary tell you that Glenna wasn't
all that happy that you didn't show? ;>) )
Seattle: Johnny Yukon, CBR John, myself (the non-xs contingent, which
also included Tacoma Andy on his Harley)
Olympia: The most excellent and ever gracious Denny and Glenna,
hosting again in their fine style.
Okay, it wasn't such a big adventurous ride, a mere 185 miles of Puget
Sound scenery, including a ferry ride from Kingston to Edmonds, but
the weather was great, the company even better, and a chance to meet
new people. It was early enough in the season that all the Harley
riders were waving to us, you know, the ones that can let one hand off
the bars...
Great to see Del (on his Blackberry Special, rather than his original
Standard) and to at last meet the 'other' Zander, Geff (on a Standard
remarkably similar to Denny's). Jeremy and Jennifer were a treat, I
really enjoyed hearing about the time he was stranded in Nanaimo, too
bad he didn't know the Busted Knuckle Garage wasn't far away. On a
one day ride (vs a 3 day weekend) I didn't get enough time to talk
more with Dave and Jim Jeremy and Jennifer, maybe next time. We made
Gary strip down his XJ so we could observe frame differences (there
are many) and he graciously obliged. I was wondering if an XS airbox
might fit in an XJ, but no. Others were wondering if the XJ seat or
tank might fit an XS... but no. At least, not without some
inventiveness and skill with the heat wrench. (Denny sez, "okay, I
have a 14mm handy... I sez, no need, the XJ seat comes off with a
KEY... dang, what those Yamaha engineers won't think of next)
Speaking of the BKG, Sid, this is for you: mostly a sedate pace, but
Denny did a fine wheelie coming into Kingston, and I caught air
hauling out after the leaders from a pit stop... and take heart, the
grill was BEFORE the ride, so the cooler had Root Beer, and the
like... so what did you really miss? I am guessing there was plenty
of barley sandwiches at the wedding, and am counting on you to report
on how you embarrassed yourself or someone else...
Jason and Andy rolled in just as we were all mounted and ready to set
out; Jim was headed toward Denny's as we were headed out; if he'd been
just 1 minute later, he'd have missed us. The Tacoma contingent,
being closest, arrived in a nick of time.
Good grill action on the deck, good weather, good ride, good folks...
XSiveness at it's finest.
Many thanks to Denny and Glenna for (again) being the center of so
much good stuff happening!
So, how many made it to the 'checkpoint' at Ivar's on the waterfront?
Mike / Seattle
Yamaha XJ1100J -1982
Suzuki GSF1200S - 1999
{Denny's follow-up report}
Getting off the Ferry, Mike, Johnny, and John cut out for home.
The rest of the gang gassed up and headed for I-5. Gary headed for home.
The I-5 traffic was the pits. Bumper to bumper. We eventually made it to
our desired exit. In the confusing traffic, we lost Dave Browne. We hope
he made it home OK (Dave, are you out there?).
We sat out doors at Ivor's, feasting on our seafood, talking about how we
were going to get out of this traffic hell we had ridden into. Jason and
Andy got back on I-5 and south to Tacoma. Jeremy and Jenifer also headed
for I-5 and their long ride back to Portland. Jim decided to try Hwy 99 (the
back way) to Tacoma.
Del, Geff, Glenna and myself decide to climb back on a ferry to avoid the
traffic. We took the 45 minute ride to Bremerton. Then down Hwy 3 to
Shelton and back on US101 to home. We rolled in around 7:30pm. We spent the
rest of the evening honoring our family ridding tradition. Drinking beer
and talking of the ride. It is always interesting to here the days events
from each persons perspective.
Del and Geff headed out 5:30am(yikes!) the next morning. They were riding
to Cannon Beach Oregon to pickup another check point.
Gary, Jason, Dave, and Jeremy, let us know you made it home OK.
Great friends, great weather, and fun ride. Let do it again. Hay Sid, how
about a North Sound Loop!
{Johnny's report}
The only sprinkles we saw were near the Dosewallips
entrance near Olympic Natl. Park. All of about 5 minutes worth..
It was great seeing a bunch of PNW folks again, along with some new ones.
Jeremy, Jennifer and Jim. Nice to
meet Denny's brother Geff too.
Denny and Glenna are such great hosts. There smiles were bigger than the
great Burger fest we had prior to the
South Sound loop Run!!
The ride was great! Sunny and warm for so soon in the
early Spring here! Never thought I'd see Denny do a wheelie on his XS, but
the facts are you really can!!!
Mike, John and I left the group after the ferry ride back to
Edmonds. The rest of the group headed South to Seattle
to stop at Ivars, a famous Seafood Establishment there.
As Ivar used to say Keep Clam!!!
A most enjoyable day!!!
Johnny Yukon
{thanks for looking - even small one-day rallies are 'official'
}