Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/703695
70 nAugust 2016n www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS by Sue Bee Dolan COOS BAY, ORE., JUNE 17–19—Several days before the 16th annual Lighthouse Run I popped into Highway 101 Harley-Davidson in Coos Bay, Oregon, to meet Karen Pettit. She and her husband Al took over the shop 10 years ago and the store has been buzzing along ever since. I found her behind the counter with one of her diligent workers stuff- ing "goody bags" for the run. She was all smiles and seemed ready to take on the world. The Lighthouse Run is one of their biggest events, collecting donations for local charities and giving away a shiny 2016 Harley-Davidson Dyna among other fun prizes like leather jackets and gift certifi cates for local delights of food, lodging and shopping. I noticed a collection of previ- ous Lighthouse Run shirts up on the wall. Karen explained that each one was unique in design and that they had become collector's items. I had to agree; they were damn nice-looking shirts. Tickets go on sale in February and sell out fast; this year's tickets were gone in fi ve weeks. The Lighthouse Run Poker Run starts at The Mill Casino in Coos Bay and there are 10 stops. All riders are required to make a minimum of fi ve stops with Highway 101 Harley- Davidson being the only required stop to qualify. From The Mill Casino you can travel as far south as Port Orford and as far north as Newport; in between are all the poker stops and it's one of the most beautiful coastal rides, in my opinion. If you have never ridden the Oregon coast you don't know what you are missing. In Newport, the farthest north, you will see the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. South of that is my favorite, Heceta Head Lighthouse, with Cape Blanco Lighthouse being the farthest south on the run. On this stretch of coastal highway you will come across many quaint little coastal towns with restaurants, shops, art gal- leries and other points of interest. My husband Eric and I think Winchester Bay has the best oysters you will ever eat—that is if you are buying them in bulk to toss on the grill. In Newport our favorite place to eat is Nana's Irish Pub, but there are so many great places to eat along the coast. Friday afternoon we headed into town to the check in at The Mill. Warm sunshine heated up my leath- ers nicely as I gazed up at wisps of white clouds in the bluest sky; perfect day for a ride. Of course, this being Oregon, one never rules out rain but rain never deters avid riders when they are ready to explore and have some fun. We arrived at The Mill around 3:00 p.m. Check in was at 5:00 p.m. so I sat in the lobby for a bit to check out the scene while hubby went to pick up bike parts for the one he is building at home, a 1941 Servi-Car, but that is another story. Riders started rolling into The Mill Casino parking lot early and soon the lobby was full of leather and luggage. The place hummed with excitement and enthusiasm as the line to the front desk got longer. Laughter and camara- derie ensued. I introduced myself to Don, a concierge for the hotel, and asked how long he's been toting luggage for this event and he tells me he has been here for the past nine years and enjoys this event a lot. He is a very busy guy indeed as I watch him go from bike to room to bike again, all smiles the whole time. And then I meet two cou- ples that rode in from Reno, Nevada. All the riders were ready to let their hair down and have some fun. Highway 101 Harley-Davidson knows how to throw a party. They had brew tasting and a no-host bar, an a la cart food court with beef barbecue, pulled pork sandwiches, handmade chips and all the fi xings as well as a band called The Essentials that had rhythm 'n' blues with some funk all rolled into one. The food was just what the riders needed as some had traveled a far distance. Later in the evening was to be a Show-N-Shine and a 50/50 raf- fl e drawing. I saw glimpses of Karen here and there. She seemed to hold her composure through the whole event, admirable considering all that was going on around her. A louder group of riders took over the lobby lounge area, rearranging benches and tables around the fi re- place, making themselves at home. I leaned over the railing and asked where they were from. One big guy yelled "All over!" then chuckled and a few shouted out their cities and states. 16TH ANNUAL LIGHTHOUSE RUN Riding the Oregon coast A decuplet of stops See "Lighthouse Run," page 72, column 1 Riders didn't let a little thing like weather ruin their day as they rode up and over the historic McCullough Bridge, meeting the storm head on Iron Butt trophy winners Matt and Jackie rode from San Jose to attend the Lighthouse Run. Other riders came from as far as Minnesota, Texas, Idaho, Nevada, Washington, California and, of course, all over Oregon. Attendees excitedly snatched up tickets for the 50/50 raffl e Jeff Phillips of Crater Lake was the happy 50/50 winner of Friday night's raffl e