Choppertown Camparound 2013 In The Books

I'm just sitting here on the couch trying to be as much like a ghost as I possibly can so that Diane can rest quietly, it's Tuesday and she is suffering from the after effects of her weekly shot.  She's had a pretty good run lately with very little in the way of side effects but today she is paying for that good run.  As I always say, no good deed ever goes unpunished.... and one must always be prepared to pay the price for good fortune... right now, the latter of the two is what's happening.  As I'm sitting here I began to reflect on the weekend and just how much I enjoyed myself.

This past weekend was if my memory does not fail me, the fourth Choppertown Camparound and for the first time it was held in a new location up in Wilhoit, Arizona.  I had been looking forward to this event for some time now but had been worried that after taking that fall back in Milwaukee, was I going to be able to make it up there, much less even ride my bike up there.  As it turns out, I was able to do both and by the time the day came to actually get my shit together and go, I was ready for it.  Just in case though, I brought with me an ankle brace, two knee braces, a different wrist brace and my cane, I was going to be ready for anything that hit and any injury that acted up!  The day before I left I was feeling pretty bummed that I would not be riding my knucklehead up to the party as I had the first annual event and I had come to grips with the fact that I would be riding up on the bagger when I realized hey, I got my fxr, that shits got room to pack camping gear on it, I'll ride the Pickle Sickle up there.  By the time I arrived, I could not get the smile off of my face!  I forgot just how great that bike is to ride and it was the first time I ever got to take that bike and use it for what it was designed for, going fast around the twisties.... but I'm getting ahead of myself here.

Normally when I'm getting ready to go to an event I get stressed to the limit and I'm in a panic about getting on the road and how long will the ride take to get there and how long we stop at each gas station.  There is nothing worse than going for a ride somewhere and having to be there at a specific time, it takes a whole lot of the joy of those trips from them.  The pressure builds even more when I'm riding my bike to an event that I'm working, where the only real joy comes from the ride home.  On this Saturday, I took my time like never before, getting my shit together, packing it all up right so that I could grab anything that I needed without having to unpack on the side of the road.  I had planned on being up early, loading up and riding out by 11 then 12 and that quickly became 1 and finally I fired up the bike to go at 3pm and not one part of me gave a shit!  I don't have a working speedometer on the Pickle but I do know that it could not tach any higer and I ended up making great time on the 120 mile ride so you do the math there.  Part of my mind always has a little paranoid part that is always one step ahead of me and does all the worrying for me so that I don't have to.  One of the thoughts I had on the ride up was "I sure hope when I get there the whole front of the bar is not packed with bikes", I didn't want the local PD seeing a billboard for what was taking place there and wondering why even after the bar closed were all these bikes still there.  As I pulled up in front of the Burro Inn there was not a bike to be seen and my smile grew a bit wider.  I pulled in, made a left and rode up the dirt hill to the glory of a post apocalyptic refugee camp of choppers, stock bikes and tents!  THIS PLACE WAS PERFECT!

I said hello to a few friends upon arriving and then shot over to set up camp which shockingly was done in only a few minutes thanks to help from a few friends and with that, cracked open the ol' mason jar and passed around the jar of Palmetto Moonshine.  A little white lightning after a hot ride across the desert was the perfect reward and it was still semi cold from when I pulled it out from the fridge a few hours earlier.  As I settled into the event it dawned on me that I wasn't there to work, not in the least and it was time for the first time in a very long time to do nothing but kick back, share some booze with friends and just celebrate this thing we do!  As the sun set I looked up to the mountain to see a sight that I had not planned on.  Met from New Mexico was standing on top of the hill, striking a pose like a Greek God and then my eyes refocused and I quickly came to the realization that he was pantless and taking the piss of a lifetime!  It will be a while before I get this pic out of my head and to be honest, I had no idea he had so much ink....  Nice ass tats Met!  With the sun down and the fire roaring, people all looked genuinely happy!  Not that I'm at a run and I'll be as happy as I can while I walk through the rows of chaps vendors but the pure happiness that comes from walking around looking at bad ass bikes and talking to people that you hardly ever get to see.

One of the highlights for me that I take away from this event was the people.  Many who were there I had not seen in some time and when I do get to see them, or talk to them, I only get to hang for a few minutes or in most cases, for a few moments before I run off to do something else or be somewhere else.  It was amazing not being on a schedule, not worrying about what band was coming on next and at what time, not worrying if I had taken care of the vendors well enough, did I remember to announce that the bartenders work only for tips.... etc etc etc.... it was so good to just walk around and bullshit with people.  Some people I've only met a few times in my life and at best for only a few seconds while working and I was finally able to hang out and get to know them, while there were others who, although we have been social media friends for some time, we've never even met in person until this party and it was great to put a face and a voice to a single profile pic!  If you are reading this and you were one of these people, it was great to finally meet you!  In one of those moments, I had just finished talking with someone and there was a quiet that came over the crowd in the campground and suddenly I could hear the band and all I could think of was "who the hell is that on stage", they are insane good!  I quickly made my way up to the back of the bar to see a band on stage that I had heard friends talk about over and over and now got to witness for the first time why they loved these guys so much!  If you guys, anywhere who are reading this, if you see the name HogJaw appear on an event invite or a flyer somewhere playing near you, believe me, go and see them.  The playing is so tight that it appears effortless!  They have a new album out and they take off for Europe in September so check them out, you will end up a lifelong fan as I have just become!

Next up was my friend Shadrach Heartattach and his band Bottom Shelf Bourbon.  I'd heard great shit about these guys as well but I've not seen them perform either.  We were hanging out at the back of the stage when Shadrach Heartattach came up to me and asked if I would go up on stage and bring the band on....  I told him no, that it was my day off and I wasn't working with a smirk and he just gave me one of his sly little smiles and he had me right then and there!  I've got to tell you guys and gals reading this here in AZ, if you get a chance to see this band, check them out, fantastic.....  I was captivated the moment they came on and the sound that came from that electric guitar was out of this world!  After having just finished my contract negotiations with my friend Shadrach, Long Jon, the host of this kick ass event pulled me aside and said "hey man, I ain't much of a talker but.... we want to do something for Randy Pants, we want to do a burnout in his memory, would you go up and announce it"..... sure thing man, I'd be honored to and for the record, what a burnout it was.  I've never seen anyone pop a tire so fast and I do believe Ken from FTF is and has remained the burnout king of Choppertown!  I'll have to double check as I only made the last event for an hour and missed the one prior to that altogether!  The band went on and played until late and we filled the rest of the hours with drinking, laughing and setting some things straight between friends.....  all in all, I'd say this was one hell of a party and one hell of a good time!

For Long Jon and the lovely Ms. Pinky Pancake, I just want to say thank you once again for taking the time to put this lil shindig together for all of us to enjoy and get away from work for a little while.  You made one hell of a choice in picking this year's location and I would seriously recommend that you stick with this joint!  The people who ran it were friendly and I really got the feel that they were genuinely grateful that we all came to hang out at their place!  So to those of you from the Burro Inn, I say thank you as well!  As great as the party was, the ride to the party is not to be beat!  There are only two ways in or out of this joint and each equally spectacular in their views and twists, turns and switchbacks.....  so that's it, what more could you want from a bike event?  We ended the night in the most fitting of ways, we drank and laughed ourselves to sleep around the camp fire....  well GTP was already asleep until I unzipped his tent and knelt down right on his forehead thinking it was my own tent....  oh hell, they were both blue and it was dark and the shit was right next to mine, it was an honest mistake!  For the record, I was nearly as surprised as you were George.  Now this is where I would traditionally load up all the photos from the party but I took only one pic and it was the next day......  hey, what do you want from me, I was off the clock!

Until we see each other on the road again,

Keep the wind in your face,
Tits in your back
and The Man Off Your ASS!

Your friend,
Jack Shit