Lee Marvin

Lee Marvin was a WWII vet who was in the Marines in the South Pacific. In 1953 he played the leader of the outlaw mc group the Beetles in the film, "The Wild One's.". Motorcycle historians generally agree that he fit the outlaw biker image of the early fifties much more than the leather clad Marlon Brando, the star of the film...

Jan and Dean

"Little Old Lady From Pasadena" "Dead Mans Curve," Growing up, I listened to Jan and Dean, they were friends of the Beach Boys in L.A. and Brian Wilson wrote a few songs for the duo.
Ironically, Dean Torrance was badly hurt driving his Corvette up Sunset Blvd in an area deemed before as Dead Mans Curve. His car his the back of a parked truck stopped at an intersection. He struggled for years and actually took the stage later on. Sadly, he died a few years ago.
I've read a history, of Dead Mans Curve. There are many such curves all over the country, and more than a few in the L.A. area. Torrance's accident made the one on Sunset famous.

Ghosts and Spokes

Just a few days until the Ghosts and Spokes benefit run. It's been a long 4.5 months. Once we got a good crew in place, everything clicked. We hope to make a lot of money for Assist The Officer.
The weather looks great, and people are pumped.
Picked up the new Keith Richards book yesterday. I've been a Stones fan for forty years or more. One of my first 8-tracks for my '65 Mustang was the Rolling Stones live album, "Get Yer Ya Ya's Out." The concert tour of 1969 that eneded with the infamous Altamont tour. I saw ths Stones for the 8th time in Jan 2006 at Madison Square Garden in part because that album was recorded there.

Swiming with Harley-Davidson

Back in the day, Harley and Indian riders would go out into the woods on the weekends and throw their bikes around in what they called "Field Days." We wouldn't think of taking our chrome laden 30K bikes into the mud a sludge. Heck we take diffenrent routed if there is a cloud in the sky to avoid rain!

Honor Flight October 2010

I just returned from an experience that I will not soon forget. I was chosen to be a guardian on the Honor Flight this month. Honor Flight flies WWII veterans to the WWII Memorial in D.C.
Over forty heroes and and slightly more guardians went on this trip. We took in the WWII, Korea, and Vietnam memorials.
Walter Reed Army Hospital where the vets met with the current wounded warriors. Senetor Bob Dole was in a wheelchair just recently having knee surgery.
We saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Un known Soldier. The Air Force, Navy, and Iwo Jima memorials as well.
The guys were like kids in a candy store. I had a hard time keeping up with my two.
I'm honored that I got to go with these boys and hope to do it again sometime.
Godspeed heroes...

"Mighty 8th" Air Force veterans refused seating atop Reunion Tower

Read the DMN article about 8th AF convention "Sweinfurt" raid veterans were refused seating at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant. These men were teenagers when they participated in one of the most infamous raids in WWII, the ball-bearing plants at Sweinfurt Germany. These old heroes were dressed in shorts and ball caps, many with the words "WWII veteran," and "Sweinfurt Raid 1943." The hostess sais they were not dress in "Business casual."

Why are these people laughing

Great shot of using what ya got to fix that old Harley. When all else fails, grab a two-by-four, wedge it under the frame, and do what you have to do to get it down the road. Looks like nobody in this group was worse for the wear. Including the wife or girlfriend or rider of the wrecked bike. She's not letting this little spill spoil her day. Probably from the thirties or forties.