For the first time, I did not have to get up at 4:00 am to leave for a Rally. I worked until 11:00 am, came home and Lucky and I were on our way to Hollister. It's only about 350 miles from our house and we figured about 5 to 6 hours. Wrong.
I assumed (and you know what happens when you "assume") that Lucky would take the 5 Freeway to the 198 to the 25 and we would be fine. We left the house with the weather being 90 degrees. He decides it's too hot for the 5 Freeway and takes the Coast. If you live in California, you know the weather can be 100 degrees inland and then drop to 60 degrees when you get to the Coast. I was not a happy camper and we weren't even camping yet! I froze. It is beautiful scenery through Pismo Beach and those hills, but I was dressed for HOT weather not 60 degrees!
We roll into the campsite at Bolado Park at 8:00 pm. 3 hours later than we had planned. As we are setting up our tent, I'm shivering to death. All done setting up our campsite and putting up the Cyclefish Banner and I'm ready to go to sleep and warm up. That night was so quiet, I felt like we were in a family campground not at the Hollister Bike Rally! Maybe we were....there was a 16 day old baby in a campsite next to us and someone else brought their Chihuahua.
The next morning, Friday the 3rd of July, we are ready to party and have some fun! We meet Doc our new good friend from Florida (but lives in Manteca, CA). Now remember, Florida IS a Southern State and boy did Doc have that Y’all accent going on! We’all decided to check out the vendors and get our drink on. Doc with his many Bud Lights, Lucky with his Jim Beam mixed into a Coke bottle and me with my Bacardi Limon and Diet 7-Up. Look, I’m a girl, I can get away with the foo foo drink!
Not too many people showed up on Friday and all of us were a little down in the dumps thinking maybe we should have stayed home for fireworks instead of coming to Hollister. But by the time the sun set, all three of us were good and buzzed and decided to make our own party at the campsite. Before we did that though, Lucky and Doc wanted some of those banners on the fence that said “Welcome Bikers” and “Bud Light”! I had to pee so bad and these guys are taking out their knives (all bikers have some kind of knife in their boots) and tearing down these signs! Doc is stuffing his real quick into his bike. Not Lucky. He has to be all neat about it and he’s folding it up and I’m jumping up and down almost peeing my pants and Doc’s laughing! We left just in time before someone saw us, but poor Doc either cut the one corner too sharp or stopped his bike with the handle bars turned…he dropped it. It’s dark and all I can see are sideway headlights and he’s revving up that bike, trying to get it back up. It was seriously funny. I’m surprised my bladder didn’t let loose then! Lucky went over and helped him and we finished partying at our tent. Some folks that had gone to Redwood were camped next to us and saw our banner and the girls showed us their tan lines with the Cyclefish logo on them!
The next morning, Doc bought us breakfast at the Cantina in Tres Pinos and really liked the waitress. He looked at her and told us, in his Southern Drawl “I’d spank her bottom till it was red as a baboon’s ass!” He is a trip! At breakfast we’re thinking of packing up and going home early. Of course, alcohol had another plan for us.
We got back to the Hollister Rally campsite (Bolado Park) and the crowd finally showed up...there were bikers everywhere! Woo Hoo! We went back to the vendors and that’s where we met Erik (known here on CycleFish as AirbrushbyMasterErik). He reminded me of the actor Michael Clarke Duncan in The Green Mile. Erik airbrushed a really cool CycleFish t-shirt for Lucky. Next it was my turn. Lucky asked him to paint me and make sure Cyclefish was on there. I could not believe how many pictures were taken of me! A little embarrassing when people came to the Rally and had brought their kids! Madmex and BikerDooRags were hanging out at the booth for security purposes. Not!
Next up was DebraJo62, who we met in Redwood and then hooked up with in Hollister through Cyclefish! She, too, had the Cyclefish logo tan lines! Her body paint was Old Glory! What a way to celebrate the Fourth of July!Before you knew it Erik had a line of girls all waiting to get their boobs painted by him. I think he was happy with what I had started.
The next morning was goodbye time. Traded numbers with Doc and started home. But first: we stopped at Sawdoff’s (Erin & Gregg) house for some breakfast and relaxation! We have seen Erin & Gregg every year at Redwood, but thanks to the new CycleFish we now stay in touch and have gotten to know them much better. That was so nice of them to welcome us to their beautiful home in Paso Robles, Wine Country. Their pool is to die for! Gregg is the pool expert and owns Coastline Pool Service.
After more good-bye’s and thank you’s, we really were on our way home. Took the 46, also called Blood Alley where James Dean was killed. Got to our freeway and then a dead stop. Forgot it was the day after the Independance Day! So we left Hollister at 8 am, rested a few hours at Sawdoff’s place, and ended up getting home at 8pm! This ride kicked my butt…..still had a great time.
See our Hollister GTMC Rally Pictures
Additional Info on the GTMC Hollister Rally