Hodaka Days 2015 -- Done

[Zyx]

Motocross events done early and time to wrap up and go home. Bad Rock is the best ride I have had in 40 years, and the motocross is the first ever for me. Only slid out once, in the second moto, finished 5th overall in the 125 reed class. Track is tight, and when watered, greasy, but a blast. Hitting fourth gear in places which means somewhere nearing 40mph on mine, most turns in third gear. Even though a 97 engine, the HT3 and 32 Mikuni modified by Rich's Taylor'd Porting pull from bottom to top, so while still pipey at the same point as before, now it pulls hard right from the bottom and I could power through turns in third instead of having to drop back to second. Had a good time. Didn't know I could do motocross.

[Bullfrog]

Walla Walla is reporting official temp of 108 degrees today. Um, it is HOT!

Grandpa Race was a hoot! 5 or 6 of us out there with some close racing going on. No handle bar banging, but guys close enough together to wonder who would be in front of who on the next lap. That is the most fun racing there is. Racing doesn't have to be fast to be fun. I'd have more fun dicing it out for last place than running away and winning by a mile. So today's Grandpa race was a hoot! If I'm remembering it correctly (and it IS possible that my Walter Mitty mind has already embellished the events a bit ) -- I think I was third in to the first turn . . . and was stuck there for a while till a bobble and a loaded up engine by the 2nd place rider allowed me by. Then I had a new goal and seemed to get into "the groove". I'd gain on Greg Watkins, then he'd open up the lead again. Still the trend was that I was gaining little by little. IF ONLY ( ever heard that statement from a racer??), if only I'd have had another lap or two . . . I might have gotten him!

Dirt Squirts Rule (well, . . . almost )

Ed

[Dale]

Hoot does not begin to describe it. I had you in my sights and needed another lap too. I will own my 3rd place plaque with pride.

Back to Walla Walla. Officially 112 right now!
Dale

[Zyx]

It was 108 all the way to the Idaho border, and is still 101 at 8:40 pm local. Hot is correct.

As for speed not being needed to have fun, I don't know. I like speed.

[socalhodaka]

This was Aiden's first Bad Rock, he was the youngest rider on the smallest bike. He rode all the route taking no bypasses, when he got home he told his mom he wished Hodaka Days was twice a year.

[fullchoke]

Hey Arizona, Good to hear you experienced it! I've never done motorcross either, and while I thought I might try it this year the heat was just too much for me to last even thru Saturday. I'm not from Arizona so I couldn't take it. Next year it'll probably be too cold, or too wet, and I'll be too old.
Hope to see you and Tough Nut next year!
Greg

[Tom Penton]

Arizona,

Thanks for the reporting and Pics!

Aiden,

Great ride, pal!

I passed you a few times, and you were looking great. The tortoise and hound, you being the former. I'd do a bit of a sprint, then stop to BS. You kept plugging. And you got me near the end as I was bandaging my arm from blackberry wounds. (Tried to gain milliseconds by cutting into the apex of a corner too close!)

Tom Penton

[fullchoke]

The Bad Rock has changed just a little bit from the original run. It is a leisurely trail ride now, at least by comparison. I was in the first group out and thought we could take the trail at a good speed(for an old guy), but before we got out of the roads just outside of Weston, one of the bikes in our group got stubborn and wanted a 10 minute rest. After so many passed us, I was content to ride behind the cloud in front of me, but many riders wanted speed more than clean air.
Last year with the muddy roads it could have been faster for us but we had a slow rider that never did finish, but as the sweepers came thru they said not to wait any longer. Kind of odd, but we never did find out where he went, to this day. I didn't see him this year (on the trail either).
We plan on doing it again next year, ...dust and all it's so much fun on a Hodaka!
And Tom, are you sure that wasn't a dump in the blackberry bushes?
Great to have another riding celebrity on location, wish I could have visited with you longer.

Greg Mansholt

[socalhodaka]

Hi Tom, I got you guys with the Go-Pro as your group pass Aiden. I hope I will be able to freeze the frames and ID you all. I thought I heard Ed say you switched bikes and you ended up on the Penton, is that right? You know I never had a Hodaka as a kid, I had a 72 Six Day, now I have 11 Hodaka's and no Penton. I'm the one who got the jacket at the auction, I was hoping to get a picture with you. It will go with my other Penton stuff, book, movie poster and trail arrow. Now I think it's time to look for another 72 Six Day. I hope to see you next year.
Kelly and Aiden

[Darrell]

The Bad Rock has changed just a little bit from the original run. It is a leisurely trail ride now, at least by comparison. I was in the first group out and thought we could take the trail at a good speed(for an old guy), but before we got out of the roads just outside of Weston, one of the bikes in our group got stubborn and wanted a 10 minute rest. After so many passed us, I was content to ride behind the cloud in front of me, but many riders wanted speed more than clean air.
Last year with the muddy roads it could have been faster for us but we had a slow rider that never did finish, but as the sweepers came thru they said not to wait any longer. Kind of odd, but we never did find out where he went, to this day. I didn't see him this year (on the trail either).
We plan on doing it again next year, ...dust and all it's so much fun on a Hodaka!
And Tom, are you sure that wasn't a dump in the blackberry bushes?
Great to have another riding celebrity on location, wish I could have visited with you longer.

Greg Mansholt

Hi Greg,
I was the other member of your group at Bad Rock 2014. The rider that went Missing In Action was riding an 03 Wombat and when he seemed to vanish I was also worried that he got carried off by a Sasquatch, or something. You may be relieved to hear that I bumped into him the next day. Reportedly, his bike was running poorly and he didn't have a spare spark plug, so he turned around at Ryan's Grade and backtracked to Athena. That's why the sweepers never found him along the trail.

You probably well remember that the delay timed us for riding in the middle of a driving rain, starting at the creek crossing all the way back to Athena. It was like a fire hose from the sky and got right through my "waterproof" jacket and everything else. At that point I was too wet, cold and cranky to stop in Weston and see if you needed help loading your bikes in Weston (sorry) and rode straight back to Athena to dry off.

I kept an eye out but didn't bump into you guys for the rest of the weekend. I didn't expect you guys were very happy about getting drenched either. However the rain effectively powerwashed a lot of that day's mud off by the time I rode into Athena.

Darrell Ohs

[fullchoke]

Hi Darrell,
I was hoping to see you this year. We didn't know which way you went, but with the lightning flashes and barely able to see, we got those bikes on the trailer in record time. I've never been so wet with my clothes on. Fire Hose from the sky describes it well. That sky sure was black when we crossed the creek. We got back to the park, peeled off those wet clothes and I do mean peeled, put on the driest clothes we had left as our tent leaked. With our sleeping bags soaked and standing water in the tent we decided we had enough. That ended our Hodaka Days 2014.
We figured (hoped)he turned around when the sweepers didn't see him. He didn't seem comfortable riding his bike. I think it was something he bought just for the Bad Rock ride. My son and I did the same thing the year before. We made a deal to pick up our bikes at Hodaka Days 2013. Mine never made it out of the parking lot in Weston and my son rode Bad Rock the whole way without a clutch. We have been to Hodaka Days 3 years now, thought 3rd time would be a charm, but this year was incredibly hot and dry. Next year will be just right...nothing bad about Bad Rock 2016 unless the bad rock gets in my boot! Hope to see you there.
Greg Mansholt

[Tom Penton]

Glad ISDT Jacket found a good home!

No, I didn't fall at the Bad Rock reunion ride, just brushed too close to the bushes and swiped the blackberries across my forearm.
I did, however, scare myself a few times in my over exuberance, and by rights probably SHOULD have unloaded!

Tom