If You Are Going InZane, Joining In Is Half The Fun

After getting parked, I wandered over to the registration table to get signed in.  Everybody there was real friendly and curious about me --  they wanted to know where I was from and what my name was and things like that.  I thought it was because they were interested in me as a person but I came to find out that they were just looking for my registration form.  Once I got my packet of stuff and name tag (which I never wore) I was sent down to the raffle ticket part of the registration table. 

K-Dog's Rune

At the raffle ticket table I met Sparky51.  We had actually conversed online earlier in the week when I volunteered to help sell raffle tickets.  When in doubt or if you are ever going to an event you've never been to before and they're looking for volunteers – – do. 

Usually the best thing you can volunteer to do is to tend bar.  However, failing that -- offer to help with anything to do with gambling.  The reason is easy, if you don't know these people a quick way for them to come to you is to either give them a drink or sell them a chance to win something.  Since the bars weren't open, gambling was my only choice.

I ended up staying longer than I was supposed to but I was promised time and half.  Actually, I guess I was paid in blueberries.  After making pies, there was a bowl of left over blueberry pie filling in the kitchen.  Near the end of my shift, this bowl made its way to the table with a stack of spoons to be shared by all present.  After some discussion, it was determined that whipped cream or ice cream would make this tasty snack even better.  The bowl disappeared then reappeared a short while later with ice cream on top of the blueberries.  The volunteers rejoiced and ate of the bowl.  Thinking back, this was probably a bit riskier germ-wise than a double dipped chip, but volunteerism strengthens the immune system.


After I put in my volunteer time --- I spent a little while wandering through the parking lot and looking at the various bikes.  I was really stealing ideas for improvements on my own bike but I was also enjoying looking at what other people had done creatively to theirs.  I'd never seen so many variations on a theme.

The next group participation thing that I took part in was the Poker Run.  The only Poker Run I had ever been on before was done en mass with several hundred riders going from location to location to pick up cards.  This one was a bit different in that everyone was riding the route in small groups.  Right after I got mounted up there were four bikes getting ready to head out, so I just tagged along with them. 


Membership of our group changed several times as the ride progressed; some people joined while others left.  In the end we were a group of 7 and had a trike riding with us. 

The ride was 102 miles through small towns and country roads around the area.  Some places I had been to before, like Charlevoix, other places were brand-new.  It was all pretty and a good site seeing ride.  

I rode last in the group so that I could shoot video and get pictures of everybody else.  Riding in this position also prevented me from being responsible for any of the navigation, that falling to the bike in the lead.  So, now I can safely razz that person about the number of times we got lost.  Actually, we only got lost twice and not that badly.  But we did get lost.

  

The problem with joining a ride the way I did was that I never had a chance to find out who I was riding with.  I do know that midway through we were joined by Valky Claus, who was from somewhere in Texas.  Aside from that, I'm not sure of anyone's names or where they were from except for the bike directly in front of me that was from Canada -- I know enough Canadian that I was able to read his plates.  (Note: if it was you I was riding with, please let me know and I will add your name to this rather than leaving you anonymous – – unless you are leading and got us lost then you might want to remain unknown.)

My Valk among the other Dragons

My poker hands actually started out very well, I was going for a straight in one hand and a straight flush in the other.  That ended when I picked up my fourth card, which shafted one hand completely and left me with a pair of 8s in the other.  Not exactly the way I had planned on the whole thing ending up.  However, I did have a great time on the ride and managed to come up with a nice video from it.

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