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As you all know the 11th District is always well attended at the IAFF-MG functions. Our recent IAFF-MG's National Rally in Colorado Springs that was held in conjunction with the IAFF's Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial was no exception. With a district as large as the States of Oklahoma and Texas getting everyone together on one page for one ride is simply impossible. So we have to settle for second best which is "just get there"! And get there we did. I am not sure that anyone ever got a final count of the 11th district members that made the trip but I do believe that once again we topped them all. The group that I rode with to the rally and memorial decided to take what could have been a very simple ride and just mess it all up. There were eight IAFF-MG group 3 members (don't worry, group 3 is an inside thing we do just to frustrate Bob York) from Texas and Oklahoma that decided to take this event filled trip. We met in Salida and began the six thousand mile nineteen day trip that would take us through Colorado Springs and back home. Just like everyone that rides Northwestern U.S. in September we had weather...all weather. Rain, hail, sleet, cold, hot and everything in between. We also saw some of the most beautiful landscape God has ever created. Words and pictures could never do it justice. What we did however, was create memories and a few select pictures will be embellish for years to come [Check Out the IAFF-MG's Photo Gallery]. If you ever have the opportunity to ride up Douglas Pass through the center of the Colorado Rockies make the trip. But you must beware that a quaint and inviting town sits just on the North side that will suck you in. Rangley, Colorado is just that town. The people there seem so nice that you will decide to cancel all plans and just stay the night. Doesn't matter that reservations have been made for a town about 60 miles down. The town folk at the local watering holes will offer up all kinds of seemingly good reasons to forgo reasonable thought and spend the night in Rangely. "DON'T DO IT". We have decided that they are vampires, werewolves and the devil themselves. Oh you can stop and partake of their good cold beer, cheap steak and wonderful atmosphere, just don't stay the night...oh no, don't stay the night. Our trip at it's most Northern point took us to Long Beach, Washington. This is a picturesque fishing village on the Pacific Coast. A minor miscalculation brought us to this stop well after dark. Who would have ever thought that a four hundred mile day following the winding Columbia River would have been pretty slow. We were doing great right up until the time it began to rain and get dark and slick and covered in trees and deer. We were very glad to finally get to our destination. So glad in fact the we decided to celebrate. Did you know they have Crown Royal in Long Beach? Who would have thought? All the way up there, Crown, wow. And after eight people pump several hundred dollars in to the local econamy they will elect one of you Mayor. Not just honorary, the real Mayor. That's what they said...don't miss any meetings Steve! Last but certainly not least is the turn of events that took us to the Eagle House Hotel in Eurica, California. After stopping at one of the more modern motels on the way in to Eurica, we were turned away. The buses, not bus but buses, full of elderly tourist should have been a clue. But not for us. We go in wait in line for about 30 minutes and find out that, low and behold, they are full. Wow, they should have put out a sign or several Greyhound busses or something. But all is not lost. The very kind man at the desk made a call and off we go. This takes us just a few miles through the old part of town filled with restrants, bars and beautiful people. And there it is, the Eagle House Hotel. A beautiful Victorian structure right on the corner of this wonderful eclectic district of historic Eurica. There is no way we can stay there. It will be much too expensive and must be full. But we are here so we might as well take a shot. We park around back and send in a scout to get the bad news of 200 dollar rooms and no vacancies. "Hay, come on in, they have rooms and said they would work something out on the price". So in we go. The rooms there normally start at 150 dollars per night and go up but for some reason they have more than the usual vacancies and are willing to give us motorcycle riding Fire Fighters a deal. Eighty dollars each for the night and everybody gets their own room, all the rooms have only one bed anyway...deal. This is just too nice a place to pass up. As we begin to check in Betty the desk clerk calls the owner to tell him of the special guest. And after just a few minutes and before anyone can get any bags to the rooms, here comes Mr. Lee the owner carrying an arm load of phone books. What on earth are you doing, one might ask? "This is for your bikes" he says. We can't imagine what he has in mind but we are getting ready to find out. You see, they just open the back double doors and you ride your bikes right in. Turn off your engine as you get to the 150 year old solid oak back stairs and coast your bikes down the ramp on to the inlaid wood dance floor, under the stained glass ceilings of the main ballroom and park your bikes right there. What? Yea, it's OK, just do it! In we go, one after the other all eight Harleys are parked in the main ball room of the Eagle House Hotel. Wow, what a story. Even though we turned off the engines and coasted to a stop we still made a little noise that gathered the interest of some of the restrant and bar patrons just on the other side of the curtain. This curtain was the only thing separating our special motorcycle garage from the restrant. All of the sudden there were several people just as amazed as we were watching this event unfold. We made a lot of good friends in Eurica that night and none were vampires and werewolves. New friends were made and good friends became better friends. That is what this is all about. It's not where you go but how you get there. I would have never thought that this trip could have been outdone by anything but the memorial is yet to come. Needless to say the memorial itself and the events surrounding it are life changing. Tell all your Brothers and Sisters that they must experience the Fallen Fighter Memorial at least once. They will thank you for it. And if you have riders in your membership that do not get to experience the memory making machine called the IAFF-MG, don't let it be your fault. Steve Keller Charter member IAFF-MG and Texas Coordinator
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