pre-ride reference links:
Dudley Perkins Harley-Davidson: www.dpchd.com
Nick's Restaurant: www.nicksrestaurant.net
Duarte's Tavern: www.duartestavern.com
Alices's Restaurant: www.alicesrestaurant.com
maps: DPCHD->Nick's, Nicks->Duartes, Pescadero->LaHonda, printable
and, the ride:
viewing THE RAZ REPORT
view pictures from West Sac to Dudley Perkins H-D
view pictures from Dudley Perkins H-D to Nick's
view pictures from Nick's to Duarte's
view pictures from Duarte's to Alice's...
THE RAZ REPORT:
Dudley's 33rd Annual New Year's Day Run
"The Best Ride of the Year!"
~ January 1st, 2014 ~
Prepared for publication in the February 2014 issue of
Thunder Roads Magazine NorCal
The morning was thirty-three degrees and clear at 7am when six riders on four motors
left Eppies in West Sacramento headed for Dudley Perkins Company Harley-Davidson. We had a leisurely
ride to the dealership including a fifteen minute pit-stop at the
rest area on I-80 overlooking Vallejo. We crossed the bay bridge
then rode south on 101 to Exit 424 where we topped off the push water at what used to be a Chevron station. Our group
arrived at the dealership by 9AM to find bikes already in the parking lot and lined up in the cul-de-sac and down the street.
We had plenty of time to verify our breakfast reservations, pick up our run pins and get some coffee
before the 9:30 departure time for the run to Nick's in Pacifica for breakfast departed.
... photograph by Russell Holder
If you have not been to the Dudley Perkins dealership since it moved to South San Francisco then you
need to plan a visit this impressive dealership filled with bikes from the past and memorabilia, a
museum in itself, a testament to a hundred years of providing sales and service to enthusiasts.
... photograph by Russell Holder
Most riders arrived on Harleys, new and old, stock and custom, and, many riders arrived on other makes, e.g., Vincent, Triumph, Kawasaki.
... photograph by Russell Holder
About 75 riders from all over northern California, San Jose, Peteluma, Sacramento, and of course the San
Francisco Bay Area formed a double line from Utah Avenue all the way down Corey Way and into the dealership
parking lot. Members of Golden Gate HOG, the dealership's HOG chapter, blocked all the intersections between
the dealership and the freeway as the entire group of riders rode en-mass onto I-380 which was ridden to I-280
north to Westborough Boulevard to highway 1 south to Nick's Restaurant in Pacifica.
... photograph by Russell Holder
Nick's had a fine sit-down breakfast prepared: orange juice, baskets of toast, baskets of muffins, fruit plates
with grapes, melon, pineapple and strawberries, meat plates with bacon, sausage, and ham, dinner plates with scrambled eggs and fried potatoes,
coffee, and, a bar! GOOD JOB by Nick's, and, I want to go back there again sometime
just to have lunch at a window table that overlooks the huge waves on that beach! Tom Perkins interrupted the breakfast
long enough to thank all the friends and supporters over the years as they enter their 100th year in business, and, a note
that patience is a virtue because there would only be two bar tenders at Duarte's.
... photograph by Russell Holder
Tom Perkins led the group from Nick's south on highway 1 to Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero for a "new year's toast."
Temperature now in the high 60's, what a GREAT DAY for a ride!
... photograph by Russell Holder
... photograph by Russell Holder
With 2014 off to a great start our group rode east on Pescadero Creek Road through La Honda to Alice's Restaurant, the well known bikers' stop in Sky Londa
for a bite to eat - didn't we just eat? - I was still stuffed - I just had an order of onion rings, Dani and Uncle Chuck split a burger...
then Skyline to 92 to Hayward to 880 to 80 to Suisun for gas where I had just have one question:
"a little while ago we were eating breakfast, and now it's dark, soooooooo, WHERE DID THE DAY GO???
... photograph by Russell Holder
We left the house at 615am and 300 miles later and 12 hours after we began we were back at 615pm;
we left in the dark, got home in the dark.
Speaking for the group of us that went, we all had a great time and are looking forward to the 34th Annual New Years Day
Run in 2015, "THE BEST RIDE OF THE YEAR!"
KNUCKLEHEADS FOREVER!
Article and photographs by Russell "Raz" Holder
Would you like to see more?... go to www.russellRAZholder.com and click on the New Years Day Run link...
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