My West Coast Tour: Update 1

This is how this three week tour came about. My Bike registry now has some 400 members who live on the West Coast.

For some time now I have felt that I would like to meet some of these owners of bikes I built.

I also realized the possibility some of these owners might like to meet me. So the idea was born.

I emailed the 400 members to see if there was an interest, and there was. Now to decide how long and when.

Every year I attend and take part in a private mini-music festival held the last weekend of September. The event takes place on St. Helina Island, South Carolina. We call it “Frogstock” because it is held at a place called Frogmore.

So that pretty much decided when. My wife Kathy has three weeks’ vacation, so that meant we could leave on the Tuesday 29th September, right after Frogstock.

It became apparent we couldn’t cover the entire west coast in three weeks, it either had to be from Washington to hallway down California. Or starting out in Oregon and going all the way through Southern California.

I chose the latter because there was far more response to my initial email from people in Southern California than from Washington. This was not surprising. My business was in SoCal, so that is where most of my frames were sold and where most of them still are to this day.

So our flight was booked to Portland, Oregon on the 29th September. From there I will rent a car and drive South to later fly out of Ontario, CA back home, on the 17thh October.

There was an almost immediate interest from a group known as the ‘Greater Eugene Area Riders,’ or G.E.A.Rs. for short. They a arranging a group meeting that will take place on the evening of Thursday October 1st. I will announce the venue and time when I have that information.

The word got out from G.E.A.Rs. and reached Maria Schur an event planner from  Portland. She contacted me and as a result I will be speaking at the Bike Commuter in Portland on the evening of the 29th September.

I will be at the US Bicycling Hall of Fame in Davis, CA on Sunday afternoon 4th of October. Empire Bikes in Chino Hills on Monday 12th October. 5 -7 pm.  

Obviously a lot of dates to be filled in, more to be announced later.

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Comments

[Jack]

Possible to post your speech in Portland? Sounds like a fun trip.

[edstainless]

Dave, I have enjoyed hearing you speak and talking with you.
I really respect the fact that though you have moved on artistically, you still reach out and lend support to the classic bike community.
Your activity is educating a lot of people and helping keep a love of these older bikes alive.
Now, if I could just find one of your frames in a 61 or 62cm....