Scooters of Bellingham

Saturday was a busy, busy day. So many pics to sort through, so much to tell you, and not enough time. Check back tomorrow for details on the rides, and the seafood feast. It was delicious (see below).

The anticipation is over, the time has come: Hamster Run VI: Pirates of the Chuckanut/Hex of the Hamsters has begun! On with the show, this is it!

The meetup at Chuckanut Brewery and Kitchen on Holly St saw a bunch of scooters, and scooterists from as far away as Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. There was beer, and delicious pizza from the Chuckanut kitchen.

At 8:00 pm, Tom and Jeff W led a quick city ride that ended up on the top level of the Parkade downtown.

We watched the sunset as the slow race took place on the hard concrete surface. From there, you had your choice of bowling at 20th Century…

… or a bonfire and movie (Pirates of the Caribbean, natch).

That’s what happened Friday. Saturday is when the real riding happens. Stay tuned.

Last weekend saw two, count ‘em, TWO out-of-town scooter rallies, and the SOB club was representin’ at both.

Craig, Sheila, Coll, and Tom attended The Westenders SC’s Tour di Mari 4 in Seattle. Great Weather and some 80 scooterists in attendance; fantastic water’-edge rides and killer food along with a raffle to end all raffles. The Westenders set the bar high this season.

To the north, Jimmy hosted the second annual DELTASCOOT, in and around Delta, B.C. A great turnout, including Jen (below), who moved to Spokane last year.

Unfortunately, Jimmy’s epic wheelie resulted in a broken collar bone. But he’s Canadian. He has that free healthcare.

The weather in Cascadia was summer-like all weekend (a rarity). Hamster Run’s up next. Be there. Aloha.

Tom and Todd at Vespa Lynnwood

Todd F. and I hit the road south for VCOS’ Scooter Insanity 24 After a few wrong turns and some nice curves we arrived around 10:30 am at Cafe’ Racer in the U District. Orin was already there and advised us to get some breakfast before it was all gone.

Eggs, bacon, biscuits & gravy and beer to wash it down (coffee for the civil folks). After social hour with some 80 scooterists, we departed for the ride up to Vespa Lynnwood for burgers, dogs, and refreshments.

At 3:00 pm Todd and I departed for the ride back to B’ham. Orin stayed behind and will fill in the rest of the rally stories. The ride back was brutal going through Everett—traffic was bumper to bumper until we hit Marysville. Cruising was fast up to the Pub in Conway for a refreshment stop. Beware of the five-alarm chicken wings—my lips are still on fire! Todd enjoyed Oyster Shooters.

Todd learned the hard way to slow down when crossing railroad tracks—the one in Conway is a hazard. He hit hard, breaking off a third of his ET’s front fender, and the chrome fender bumper went airborne. We managed to salvage it.

All well that ends well, we had a great time! VCOS did a great job on the rally and long ride!!!

—Tom Smith

Six club members met up at Chuckanut Brewery Thursday, ready for a ride to Birch Bay. Brooksana (back after surgery) and Jana joined Todd, Dorcie, Tom, Orin and Bill from the SOS Club, who arrived just as the group was getting ready to leave.

The weather was sunny but cool as we wound our way along the waterfront and past the oil refineries (There are five of them within a 20-mile radius, but Bellingham has the highest gasoline prices in the state of Washington. Go figure…).

Bill had to head for home, but the rest of us dined al fresco at CJ’s in Birch Bay. Their halibut and chips are delicious. So’s the clam chowder.

We had a nice sunset to watch.

Photos by Orin

A BIG thanks to all those who donated items for the annual club yard sale. The weather held, and although the shoppers were thin this year—we managed to pull in a little over $500 to go towards the rally next month.

Craig, Jeff W., Taira, Dorcie, Todd, Sandy, and Orin arrived by 7:15, ready to work, and by 7:45 we made our first sale. (Great Crew!)

We wheeled and dealed until 12:30 or so, packed up the leftover items, and made a donation drop @ Value Village.

See more pics on the SOB Facebook page.

Todd, Kanita and Dorcie take in the scooter antics (photos by Orin)

It was another Victoria Day weekend, and the SOBs were out in force in the Garden City. Most arrived Saturday and filled the parking lot of Paul’s Motor Inn with scooters!

Jeff R brought his Punk GTS, which drew favorable reaction out on the Causeway. Mary made a rare appearance on her Buddy, as well. Tom, Todd, Dorcie, Collin and Kanita made it a family thing, and Jason brought some folks from Tacoma. Apologies if you were there and I didn’t see you!

Tom suffered a broken exhaust pipe, but it was quickly repaired with a roll of muffler tape. The barriers at Paul’s make nice workbenches in a pinch.

Best of all, the weather was agreeable, the periods of rain occurring overnight and otherwise not at times when we were riding. A good time. Don’t miss it next year! —Orin