Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/703695
72 nAugust 2016n www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS Washington, Grants Pass, and all of Oregon were well represented. Another guy shouted out, "I'm from the moun- tains!" I decided to call this group the Fun Group. The security guard walked back by but this time he stopped and warned, "No alcohol in the lobby, guys, only in designated areas." I do not think that comment deterred them from their fun, however. Coos Bay has its own hometown brewery called 7 Devils. They have some of the best brews on the coast and also feature an outdoor eating area and a music venue to boot. If you are in the Coos area you need to stop by or visit 7DevilsBrewery.com. They offer some of the tastiest stouts, porters and ales and the food is great, too. This night, Robbie was serving up samples of blonde ale as people bought raffl e tickets, danced and tasted brews from local breweries. The 50/50 raffl e win- ner of the night was Jeff Phillips from Crater Lake, and his share was $1,110. We are positive from the smile already on his face that his night was made. Saturday morning started off with sunshine on our faces and grey clouds in the distance but all were willing and ready to ride. Alan Pettit likes to lead a band of bikes to the Umpqua River Lighthouse in Winchester Bay as a starting point although it is a "ride as you will" run. This is just something Alan does for the riders who like to make this their starting point. The eager pack of card-carrying bikers met at the north end of the casino parking lot and from there go to the north end of town through the traffi c lights with a police escort. We then headed up and over the historic McCullough Bridge and on to the lighthouse. The expe- rience was exciting as we hit some rain, then thunder and lightning, and then hail before we pulled off on the side of the road with some other bik- ers who don't re ally like to get hit in the face with hail. The storm passed quickly and we all hopped back onto our bikes and rode on. It was still a little misty when we arrived at the lighthouse. I spotted Alan and he stated that in all his years of running this event, this was the fi rst time it has rained, but many were laughing and smiling despite the little weather glitch. I had to smile to think that the folks who rode south never hit any rain. Oregon; gotta love it. We left the lighthouse and headed into Winchester Bay for some breakfast and to dry out a bit at Bedrock's Pizzeria and Chowder House & Grill where two mallard ducks had taken up residence in a parking spot outside the restaurant. Passersby took snap- shots and smiled. After breakfast we headed to Reedsport to check out the annual Chainsaw Carving Festival and stum- bled upon a Corvette Show-N-Shine. Like I said, there is so much going on along the coast this time of year. Hard to believe that minutes before there was a storm but now the sun was shining brightly once again with not a cloud in the sky. Eric and I had been to every place on the run list except Loon Lake and so we headed out there after Reedsport to see what it was like. The road had a few twists and turns and the scenery was great with so many shades of green. Many of the bikers were lounging in the sun at Loon Lake Lodge, taking in the peace and views, which looks like a future camping trip for us. This was the fi fth stop on the run and our poker card stampers were Lee and Beth, who were having too much fun. Lee introduced himself as Julio Iglesias, but Beth corrected him with, "No… I thought you were Juan Valdez!" fol- lowed by the laughter that I heard so much of on this run. They men- tioned another run coming up called the Coastline Express Poker Run (coastlineexpress.org) and said it was a good one as well. Then we were off to The Mill for dinner and more fun with a com- edy show featuring comedian Ron Stubbs, also known as the Rock Star of Hypnotism, called Hypnotic Mayhem. The tables were fi lling up fast when we got there and grabbed two seats just in time. The buffet dinner line was long but all went smoothly—beef teriyaki and rice, bar- becue pork ribs so delicious the meat just fell from the bone and of course mashed potatoes, gravy, and green, pasta and fruit salads. The tables were set with black and orange tablecloths and lilies in vases adorned each one. A delightful chocolate and orange mousse dessert with Highway 101 Harley candy designs fi nished off the incredible meal. Everyone was hav- ing a great time and went wild when Karen and Al, along with some of their helpers, started tossing out fun prizes across the room. Throughout the evening more raffl e prizes were given out and the comedy show was hilarious. It isn't every day you get to see big biker guys get hypnotized and dance like rock stars on stage. Ron Stubbs defi nitely puts on an act you don't want to miss. The whole room was in stitches by the end of the show. The prizes carried on with excite- ment building up to the winning of the 2016 Dyna. There were Iron Butt trophies given out to those who hit all 10 poker run spots, the Mini Iron Butt Trophies for those who visited four assigned spots. This year there were 67 Iron Butt winners, two of whom sat at our dinner table, Matt and Jackie from San Jose. Riders came from as far as Minnesota, Texas, Idaho, Nevada, Washington and California and, of course, all over Oregon. Highway 101 Harley-Davidson selects the fi rst highest three hands and the three lowest hands of the poker winners as potential winners of the Dyna. On stage were six bags with one key in each bag from the hands selected. Each person goes up and, one by one, picks a bag, highest hand to lowest. Only one bag has the correct key that starts the new 2016 Dyna. It was a very exciting moment when the winner was… drum roll… Keddy Haines. The crowd went crazy as the room fi lled with streamers, cheers and fl ashing cameras! Another year of fun and merriment and another long year of waiting for those who want to win that new bike. A big shout out to Highway 101 Harley- Davidson, Al and Karen Pettit, their crew as well as The Mill Casino staff. A fun event, indeed! 4 Lighthouse Run Continued from page 70 Taking some cover and still smiling as the hail storm passes Things were a bit damp as attendees arrived at the North Umpqua Lighthouse