Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/727617
6 nOctober 2016n www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS by Jay Anderson LAKE HENSHAW, CALIF., AUG. 28—Sometimes heading out on the bike ends up becoming much more than expected. Planning on enjoying a Sunday afternoon ride to a destination offering music, food and drink was fairly ordinary. But on this Sunday, it ended up being extraordinary. What was encountered at the destination exceeded all anticipations about what the day's outing had to offer. The year-round weather in the San Diego region is just about perfect for riding. Sunny days dominate, with a clear blue sky almost every day. The relatively few rainy days are tolerable and what passes for cold around here is easily addressed by a good set of leathers. So the environment smiles perpetually upon bikers. The geogra- phy, however, not so much. When planning a local day in the saddle, south into Mexico, north into the greater Los Angeles sprawl, or due east into the deserts are simply not ideal options, particularly on a Sunday in August. And west is never possible due to the Pacifi c Ocean. Not surprisingly, the major freeways run along the crowded coastline, through urban areas or into the desert. So the smart biker is a creative rider, learning new routes, places, events and adven- tures. Accordingly, the roads heading roughly northeast out of San Diego are favorites. In times past, one popular week- end destination was the Hideout Saloon and Steakhouse located near Lake Henshaw, accessible from the northern part of San Diego County by riding in from the west through Pauma Valley on Route 76 or south through Aguanga and Warner Springs on Route 79, or from San Diego up Route 67 through Ramona before turning north on Route 79 at Santa Ysabel, home of the famous Dudley's Bakery. With miles of two-lane high- way in the remote part of the county, getting to the Hideout was always a great ride. Sadly, it has closed. Happy to say, another biker-friendly desti- nation, the Round Up Grill, is just a few miles west from the Hideout and overlooks Lake Henshaw. That was Sunday's destination. In addition to just simply putting some time in the saddle and checking out the Round Up Grill, there was another objective. Live at the Lake, an event offering food, drink and live music benefi ting a military-related nonprofi t, Shelter to Soldier, was advertised to take place in the area. According to the Shelter to Soldier website, they are "saving lives, two at a time" by bringing "post-9/11 combat veterans together with trained rescue dogs to help both recover and move forward." Not that a biker needs an excuse to throw a leg over, but if there is a destination with an event supporting our veterans, hell yes, count me in! Heading east on Route 78 out of Ramona, bikes of all makes and types were the over- whelming majority of vehicles encountered on the road, including a nice six-or-so mile section of twisties most bikers can enjoy. Approaching the junction of Routes 78 and 79, it was time to make a quick stop at Dudley's to check out all the freshly baked goods. Tempting as the goodies were, it was decided to roll to the Round Up Grill and fi nd Live at the Lake. Roughly 12 miles from Dudley's, the Round Up Grill is on the side of a hill, and has an unobstructed view of the lake. Approaching the entrance is a sign declaring this is a biker-friendly establishment. Joining other bikers, it was time to grab a table in this nice establishment and order a cold drink. On the tables were small signs about Live at the Lake, though some servers seemed confused about the location. The eventual consensus was that directly across Route 76 was the access point for the event. We checked it out and sure enough, it was the right place. In an interesting touch, bikers roll- ing down the access road to the event received a salute from members of Bulldog Company, Navy Junior ROTC from Ramona High School. After checking in at the event's entrance, one soon encountered Graham Bloem, founder, president, and training direc- tor for Shelter to Soldier, the benefi t- ing charity. Bloem explained they "adopt rescue dogs from local shelters, train them over 12 to 18 months to become psychiatric service dogs, and place them with combat veterans," all at no cost to the veteran. He noted that oth- erwise a trained service dog could run $25,000 to $30,000. Qualifi ed veterans learn about the program from wide variety of sources, according to Bloem, including the VA, therapists, and basic Internet searches. A dog trainer for 15 years, including the last four with Shelter to Soldier, Bloem offered that his passion for this mission came about after helping to rescue and train nine dogs that came out of Iraq and Afghanistan, describ- ing in detail the fi rst dog that had been rescued by Marines during the fi ght in Fallujah. LIVE AT THE LAKE Awesome ride, amazing cause Exemplary vets, exemplary dogs Graham and Kyrie Bloem, co-founders of Shelter to Soldier "On providing service dogs to combat veterans, Bloem said that those that serve our country deserve this support." Combat veteran Vic Martin and his service dog Kira See "Live at the Lake," page 67, column 1