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NEW SLIDE SHOWS
(SMILEBOX)
PRINCETON RIDE
SATURDAY JULY 3RD 2011
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MANY THANKS TO DARYL BAKEWELL
FOR ALL HIS TIME , EFFORT AND HARD WORK
ON MAKING THIS PAGE FULL OF MOST
ALL THIS YEARS EVENTS
Daryl Bakewell
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Bill’s 5a Ride
Sometimes organizing a ride is as simple as deciding a route and making a few phone calls
. It doesn’t have to be anything fantastic, just an idea and a direction.
Bill had an idea that it would be a good day trip to ride up through Peachland,
over the connector, and down hwy 5a to Princeton for lunch.
A few e-mails and phone calls were made and on Sunday July 17,
a good group of us met in the sunshine at the A&W / Starbucks parking lot.
Riding along the lake in the morning sun is always great. Let’s face it;
that’s why we live here. The ride over the connector is somewhat uneventful,
but it’s only about 45 minutes to the Aspen Grove turnoff. After you head south on hwy 5a
the pace relaxes, the scenery intensifies, and the winding road makes you think “yup
, this is why I ride”.
After stretching our legs at the Gulliford rest area and solving a few
world problems we decided to head into Princeton for some lunch
at the Brown Bridge Pub. Once our bellies
were full we set a nice leisurely pace eastward on the Old Hedley Road,
and back home to the Valley.
Daryl Bakewell
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OMRA’s July 2010 Ride
The weekend of July 10-11 was just the way we like it; HOT!
OMRA treasurer Chuck Simonin had a very well organized plan for a trip to Winthrop WA
. including some interesting roads to travel, camping (or motel)
in Winthrop, and a lunch stop on the way.
Saturday morning sunshine brought out a smiling crowd of 15 to the A&W/Starbucks
parking lot. We were joined by 3 more people in Osoyoos,
and met up with 3 more in Washington State.
As usual for our group, we travelled at an enjoyable pace
and had a lot of fun at every stop. The total distance
travelled was not huge, but we managed to fill both days.
The Twisp River Pub was expecting us for lunch,
and the folks at the KOA in Winthrop treated us well.
If you’ve never been to Winthrop it’s well worth the trip,
and Washington has a variety of scenic highways to travel.
After we all checked out the town and had our fill,
we went back to the camp for some social pops, wisecracks,
and even some live musical ‘talent’ courtesy of Sonia.
Sunday started with a fine breakfast followed by another interesting
route home. Keeping a group that size together when travelling little-known backroads
is not as easy as it sounds, but Chuck kept his cool and it all worked out great.
We crossed the border into Canada at Nighthawk, and some went east
to Osoyoos while a bunch of us opted to cool off in Keremeos
before continuing home. It’s hard to beat a weekend like that.
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restaurant under the bridge is very biker friendly with some old memorabilia and even a couple of restored Triumphs inside. Our waitress was a fun loving gal and humour flowed the entire time. Unfortunately it sprinkled a little more outside, meaning cancellation of the drags. O
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Hagel Memorial Run
Sunday September 06 was the chosen day for a ride to remember a fallen rider,
the “late” Greg Hagel. Most were friends of Greg; some just came to show
their respects. Even a few that were afraid it might rain at least showed
up to cheer us on. Some might say it was “just the usual ride”, but that’s
okay because the usual ride around here always means a good time.
Other than a few sombre moments, it was great fun!
By the pictures you will see that we all enjoyed the day. Food,
refreshments, and best of all riding around the Sunny Okanagan.
Gone but not forgotten Greg, thanks for everything.
*********************************************was at the Sage Pub in Osoyoos, where the weather was hot and sunny, and everyone enjoyed the ride home.
Once again it was proven; good people x motorcycles = a great time.
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Penticton Toy Run 2009
Santa’s workshop is at the North Pole, but he lives in the Okanagan and is president of
the Okanagan Motorcycle Riders Association. September 20th turned into a
perfect day for him to lead approximately 125 bikes of all makes and vintage through
the communities of Summerland, OK Falls, and Oliver, before returning to Penticton via
Eastside Road on the annual Penticton Toy Run.
Riders gathered early at Rotary Park, on the south shore of Okanagan Lake,
where the local Lions club served up coffee and breakfast.
DJ services for the day were provided by Affordable Quality Music Services, keeping
everybody in an upbeat mood. The run began promptly at 11:00 and members of the
OMRA did a great job of blocking along the way to keep the group together. There were
cheers and waves from people all along the route, a wonderful show of support
from Valley residents.
The group returned to Rotary Park around 2:00 for burgers and hot dogs,
again served by the Lions club. Besides the toys and books donated by local businesses,
there were also more than 30 worthy prizes donated to be raffled off
to the riders. Between raffle tickets, the 50/50 draw, and cash donations,
a sum of $970.00 was raised. Combined with the huge pile of toys donated
by participating riders, the St. Vincent de Paul society will be able to brighten
Christmas morning for many needy families in the Penticton area.
The success of the toy run is due to support from many individuals
and businesses, too many to list here. Thank you all for contributing and showing yet
another reason why the Okanagan Valley is a great place to live.
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M&M Meats
On Saturday May 9/09, OMRA members flipped burgers and rolled the
dogs for M&M Meats annual charity BBQ. Lots of folks dropped by with
cash donations and left with full bellies. It was smiles all around as spirits
were high, aided by Bernie’s jovial wit. Stockwell even stopped in to powith a burger. Approximately $1720.00 was raised for chrons and colitis.
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OMRA Poker Run 2009
Our May 08/ 2009 poker run was well attended with over 150 hands being dealt.
The weather was hot and riders were well taken care of
at all the stops.
Red, Vivian and John took care of registration at Slack’s, as well as the
final card. Who knew the Riverbed Bistro in Keremeos was such a nice
pub? Food was great, with Ron and Wolf dealing the cards. The next
stop was the Westridge Pub in Osoyoos, with Roger and
Laurie shuffling the deck. As always, riders were well received at
the Grey Sage Pub in OK Falls for card #4. Complimentary
cold cuts were provided, Cherry and Daryl were dealing the cards.
Then it was back to Slack Alice’s for the final card.
Thanks to all who attended, including a large number
of Alberta riders. Approximately
$420.00 was raised for future disbursement.
******************************************************* Pagel Party 2009
Cherry and I moved to the Valley in 2008 and while out for a ride one Sunday we stopped for lunc
at the Gold Dust Pub in Hedley. Along came a group of riders who also stopped, among them were
our soon-to-be friend Rick and a man named Greg Hagel. It turned out they were on their way
back from an annual party at Rick’s cabin in Manning Park. Greg introduced himself to us,
graciously welcomed us to the Okanagan, and told us about the party they had just attended.
Further conversation led to his plan of riding in the Three Flags Rally. Sadly, it was to be
the only conversation we would ever have with him. In honour of Greg and another previously deceased friend Pat, Rick decided to call his annual event ‘the Pagel PartY
. With the August 15 2009 weekend approaching, Rick openly invited riders to attend
including members of OMRA. Cherry and I had
been looking forward to the fun time that we had heard about and we were definitely
not disappointed. It was not a large crowd but enthusiasm was huge.
Denice and Red were there, with Red presenting the Greg Hagel Honorary Membership plaque
on behalf of OMRA, and Bernie definitely helped liven up the crowd. Everyone had a great time.
Rick has a very nice place, and there is even a store within walking distance.
A barbeque was available for supper and everyone pitched in for a big breakfast on Sunday.
The scenery alone is worth the ride and I encourage people to check it out next year
, even if just for a day ride.
PS. Don’t believe any stories you may have heard about my performance. There must have been another guy who looked just like me!
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Boogie Bash 2009
August long weekend was HOT, just the way it should be, although a little less smoke would have been good. The bash started on Friday with lots of people showing up early. I think being advertised as ‘advance tickets only’ discouraged some riders, however you could join AIM at the gate for the same price, and AIM members are always welcome to their events.
It turned out to be an absolute blast, an old-fashioned run just like those of days gone by. Lots of goofy fun thanks to characters like ‘the streaker’ and his chick, and the music sounded great coming from the bandshell. There was no evidence of bad attitudes and everybody was there to participate in the fun, not just to watch as is too common these days. Alcohol was available at a reasonable price for those who wanted it, and also food and smokes. Vendors were plentiful, including Frisky Business who put on a good stage presentation.
At no time were we left with nothing to do, there was even a softball game for some afternoon fun in the sun.
I can’t say enough good about this event. The location is fantastic and it was extremely well organized. AIM members kept the showers and toilets clean and local organizations took good care of our needs. I highly recommend that you put this leg-humpin’ good time on your calendar for 2010.
I should point out the error in the slide show; The AC/DC tribute was Sunday night, not Saturday. And I should apologize to the girls for the stains on their pantlegs.
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*Other Slideshows
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Honda Ride
Saturday morning on June 6,2009
The Honda Dealership in Penticton held a Customer Appreciation Day
Here are a few of the pictures of the ride.
along with a pancake breakfast
about 35 in total and a few more riders joined in OK Falls.
submitted by Barb Scott
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Kamloops Hog 2009
Kamloops HOG Charity Poker Run, June 06 2009. Some of our members attended this event which was sold out by Friday night. Over 800 poker sheets were shelled out along with tickets for supper and a dance in Ashcroft on Saturday night and breakfast in Cache Creek on Sunday. The route was well chosen, taking riders on some smaller highways that might normally be overlooked. The town of Logan Lake and the Black Bull pub came alive for a few hours mid-day, and the motels in Cache Creek were full of riders Saturday night. Ongoing bus service to Ashcroft and back was provided allowing folks to party hardy with no worries. This is an extremely well organized and attended event, plan on registering early for next year. The return trip was again through Spence’s Bridge on #8 to Merritt, and #5a south through Princeton, a route that never gets boring.
submitted by Daryl Bakewell
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Ashcroft Drags May 2009
Ashcroft Drags, May 23-24 2009. A couple of our members headed out on
Friday and set up camp in Spence’s Bridge for the weekend,
while a few others joined the Silver Eagles from Penticton for the
ride out on Saturday, staying in Cache Creek for the night.
A good field of male and female race competitors put on a real show
for the crowd.
The Log Cabin pub in Spence’s Bridge is a great place to enjoy a few
cold ones with a biker-friendly atmosphere. Rumours restaurant puts out a fine
breakfast, and will even let you camp in the orchard out back
which is a short walk to the pub. With great scenery,
some good twisties, and little traffic, highways #8 west of Merritt and #5a
south to Princeton are excellent riding roads that should be on
everybody’s agenda.The Gold Dust Pub in Hedley is another good
stopping place with meals that are sure to please.
Get on the bike and ride!
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Slack's 2009 Show and Shine
Slack Alice’s 2009 show and shine had an impressive turn out all weekend with
lots of shiny iron on display and vendors lining the street.
Bar stool racing and a wrist wrestling competition added to the entertainment.
Many tickets were sold for the OSNS raffle bike (thank you Nancy and Shauna)
as well as some 50/50 tickets. Things wrapped up Sunday evening with winners
being awarded their prizes, including the draw for the 2009 Fat Boy
. It was great to have the winner in attendance!
submitted by Daryl Bakewell
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