X-Sender: keg@mail.speakeasy.org Date: Sun, 9 Jul 2000 13:38:17 -0700 To: kathy@motogrrl.com From: "Kathy E. Gill" Subject: Day Eight : St. Joe John, EC and I stay up WAY too late Friday night - what with orientation, late dinner, chit-chat, etc. The alarm, set at 7, comes too soon. We are supposed to be in staging by 9 am. Our room is on the second floor - the elevator is 100 miles away in the opposite direction of staging - and the bikes are further away yet, again, in the wrong direction. I elect to move the bike to staging (well, in the shade nearby) and get the luggage trolly to move all my stuff. It's too hot (already) to be lugging stuff. Although the PonyExpress organizers had set up three groups - Red, White, Blue (fast, medium, slow - or - big tank, medium tank, small tank) - there really weren't enough of us to warrant this degree of organization. Thirty? Forty? Still, we have the blessing of the bikes and then our police escort out of town. John, EC and I decided we'd make a 'mini-group' and meander at our own pace. At one point, we are joined by a local guy on a Red Duc wearing a red stich and a white helmet. ;-) EC's bike acts up a few times - backfiring and losing power. We give it a chance to catch its breath on the side of the road, then we're off again. Lunch is in Haiwathe (?sp). John orders the chicken-fried pork tenderloin sandwich. We gasp in amazement when it's delivered - the meat is almost as large as the platter (note, platter not plate) that the meal is served on! John says its tender and delicious - he eats most of it. ;-) The chase truck and promo team folks stop about 2 pm - the restaurant has *just* closed. But they re-open to accommodate the 10 or so folks who've just arrived. I run into town looking (unsuccessfully) for stamps as John works on his sinuses and EC continues to write thank-you post cards. Her industriousness makes me feel guilty; I'd planned to send thank you's after I get home. (T and Lindsay, I was supposed to give her your addresses and didn't get around to it.) It's 3 before we leave (ack! 2 hours for lunch) and we run into serious highway construction. Get into St. Joe - head to the college - pick up our program books - and go back to the Ramada. Not a lot of time to unload and get settled before it's time to be at the staging area (Riverfront Park) for the parade *back* to the college. John and I are bummed that the hotel's ethernet connection via CaisNet doesn't work. We call in a trouble ticket; it's still not working Sunday. I get Jon Diaz's phone number for EC - and she connects with him Re getting a truck to get the bike back to SF after Peoria. I observe (ok, I whine) to EC that these folks don't think a lot about time. This event starts at six and won't be over until at least 10 (EC and I both leave early) - but they don't feed you. Nor is there time to Grab Food. There are lots of bikes parked in the park - and no one seems to know what's up. "It's being organized by a local Harley guy," one of the NW promo riders tells me. "We don't know any more than you do." Eventually, one of the St. Joe motorcycle cops gets on his PA and tells us the route and the plan. We line up, two-by-two and have our escort through town (running all red lights along the way). There are some hills in St. Joe (not like Seattle or SF, but the opposite of flat) - and at one point, you can see only motorcycles in front of you and motorcycles in your mirrors. I have no idea how many bikes there were -- I've never been in anything like this before. There were at least 20 in front of me and EC -- maybe 150? The opening ceremonies were anti-climatic. Well, the opening band was Very Good - but the ceremony was very similar to what we'd already experienced in Omaha. There is an "insider" feel to much of the proceedings -- not unexpected, since this is really more of an opportunity to thank the volunteers (a host of them) than anything else. I'd guess that fully a third of the folks in the auditorium had on yellow/black staff jackets. I was COLD (the AC was on high and I had on shorts and tank top with army boots - what a fashion statement!) and I was meeting a "friend" from the PR Forum mailing list at the hotel at 9. David Bryan and his wife drove up from KC -- they watched me eat (filet mignon, medium rare, ymmmm, and southern-style Peach Cobbler - double ymmmm). We talked about PR - kids - motorcycles - volunteer events - etc. It was fun - but suddenly I hit the wall. Look at my watch - it was almost 11:30. Join EC and John brifely - they've finished dinner and are trying to get their check - then head to the room. EC has to be in the parking lot, staged, at 7 am. I, otoh, do not have to get up at any specified time. Well, the complimentary breafkast buffet ends at 9:30. Kathy on digest