The Bonehead Enduro
April 10, 2005.
Snoqualmie Falls, Wash.
At 8am on a dry, spring morning,
47 Boneheads gathered at the VFW Hall on Meadowbrook Way. Gulping down hot
coffee and orange juice, donut in hand, the crew of all males (where were the
women Boneheads? We know you are out there) was composed of three men in
their 70's, four in their 60's, seven from 53-59 years of age and four young
ones--5, 10, 12 and 18.
As far as the machines being ridden, a 1919 Harley Davidson brought
out more than one comment along the lines of "Are you going to ride that
thing?", to which owner Rick McMaken calmly responded, "Sure am." Other bikes
of note were Todd Glass's 1951 Norton Dominator, Frank Kenyon's 1954 BSA, Dan
Johnson's 1951 Panhead Harley (with 10 year old son Chevy as a co-pilot),
Dan's older son Axel, 12, on a 1979 Honda, a 1970 Maico, a few BMW GS's, a
1964 Bob Budschat-built-hybrid Ducati (ridden by the famous Al Moore), and a
1971 BSA MX handled by 74 year old Nick Daquila.
Promptly at 9:15 am, 18 year old Garrett Griffith gave the Safety
Talk, and as a result we boasted no significant injuries. Garrett must know
the right things to say. At 9:30 the flag dropped under the trusty hand of
Frank Middleton, and the bikes roared off two at a time--all except the 1919--
--Harley, that is. Rick couldn't find the--
--fire in her and after a long time of kick,--
--kick, wait, wait, kick, kick, she lit off,--
--and away he rode with a sweet putt-putt.--
--Sadly, another rider, Herb Gaudreau, broke--
--down near town on his 1974 Honda 350. Herb--
--was the first guy to arrive at the event and--
--was left to wander the streets of Snoqualmie--
--until riders returned. We hope he gives it--
--another shot this year, in 2006. We like--
--Herb.
The other riders began their ascent to sniff out the 12 mandatory and
3 bonus bones. Rick McMaken was giving chase from the rear, with plenty of
challenges ahead. As you climb the mountain the road is heavily wash-boarded,
posing difficulties to all the riders, especially McMaken's 1919 HD, which is
fitted with Clincher tires that have to be aired up to 60 lbs. to ensure their
seat on the rim. The bike was chattering as it climbed. A spring seat and
his knees were all the suspension Rick had. Riders reported that he sported a
smile that belied his comfort at the time! A true Bonehead if ya ever knew
one.
Skeleton Bridge was different, with the planks and center log gone.
It was a bare bones bridge. A new bone, Spark Plug, proved difficult to find
for many riders. The 1/2 way point was Outhouse Bone, with gas stashed for
two and four stroke bikes. This was missed by Leonard C. Watne, who had to
transfer fuel by the roadside later on. Mud Bog was slick, and more than a
few riders took a dip. From the look of his gear as well as his KTM 450 , 73
year old Leland Petersen was sporting the most mud. A new bone, Fool's Gold,
was in a new location altogether, at the base of an old growth cedar. The
last bone required crossing a small creek, which caused the 1919 HD to get
water in it's mag. After a bit of tinkering, McMaken got her re-fired and
rode back down to the photo shoot which was under the Sasquatch Bridge this
year.
After the photo we headed back to the VFW Hall. At the Hall we
tallied things up and determined that 27 of the riders got all of the bones,
including the bonus bones. 9 riders got all of the mandatory bones. We were
especially happy to see that Rick McMaken from the Tacoma Motorcycle Club had
collected all of the mandatory bones plus one bonus bone (Mud Bog) on his 1919
HD. His method was to hunt and peck and not be in a hurry, and he credited
the updated rear brake and the John Deere alternator hidden in the primary as
being extra dependable. He has a large stable of motorcycles, including a
1913 Excelsior, a 1915 HD, and a 1920 Indian Flat Tracker (that he will be
racing at Dino Daze at Straddeline ORV on June 2-4, 2006). Rick's riding
efforts and technique paid off and he took the coveted Oldest Bike Award. His
name will be engraved on the perpetual coffin trophy, and we are proud of
him.
The highest honor at the Bonehead Enduro, however, is reserved for the
Oldest Rider. Our enduro is for old folks and old iron, but it is the folks
that we are slightly partial to... A bike is nothing without a rider, and our
elders have typically put impressive mileage behind them. 2005 was Leland
Petersen's year. Born at his grandmother's home in the Georgetown area of
Seattle, Leland was the third born and came into the world with ease on
December 4, 1931. His father, a Danish/Swedish man and a union carpenter and
developer, made their home in the countryside near the Top Hat neighborhood.
Little Leland remembers riding his trike on two wheels and, more remarkably,
riding his brother's bicycle by putting his leg under the cross bar and
leaning the bike out. As he grew, he learned to ride backwards while sitting
on the handlebars. He continues to this day to stay in shape by riding his
bicycle along the Cedar River (see, Boneheads exercise, contrary to popular
belief).
During the WWII Leland's mom worked for American Auto on Broadway and
Madison. It was owned by Stan Sayers, hydro plane celebrity with his fleet of
Slow Mo hydros. With the help of his fair and firm parents and his own
carpentry work, Leland bought his first bike, a Cushman motor scooter in 1946.
But not having a driver's license was a problem in rural King County. So the
next year, working on his two uncle's Great Falls, Montana wheat farms, Leland
was able to obtain a driver's license, and get a lot of practice on their six
thousand acre spread. The license came in handy because he bought a brand new
1947 45 cu. in. Harley Davidson from Marion Dietrich's shop near Broadway and
Denny in Seattle, and things got rolling. Shortly after graduating from high
school in 1950, he joined the Navy as a ship's carpenter on mostly unarmed oil
tankers. Making regular runs between the Gulf of Mexico via the Panama Canal,
Hong Kong and Alaska during the Korean conflict, Leland was pretty busy for
awhile.
Unknown to Leland, his future wife, Dorothy (Dot), was being
introduced to motorcycles in rural Idaho by her brothers. She took a job in
1955 working the counter at the First Avenue Drive In Movie Theater in Burien.
Just free of his Navy obligations and owning a Ariel Square 4, the normally
bashful Leland asked Dot out on a ride. After consulting her friends, she
accepted. The two of them each owned motorcycles later and participated in
trail riding, Jolly Roger's M/C events and riding the Tank Traps in Renton,
Wash. About this time Leland bought a Greeves motorcycle, too. Dot and he
were married in 1956 and in 1959 they had a girl, in 1961 a boy and then
another boy in 1963. They raised their children on a five acre property near
Salt Water State Park. The children grew up riding motorcycles, mostly on the
east side of the Cascades around Little Naches and the Roslyn Coal Fields.
They went from tent camping back then to a camper truck that they still use
today. They now live in Maple Valley in a house that Leland built, with a
shop and a barn on ten acres. They've run off the hay burners that were
"eating their heads off," and are both happily still riding a new Ultra
Classic Harley. They enjoy their weekly breakfasts with three couples that
Leland attended High Line High School with, all boasting over 50 years of
marriage! Leland says that the secret to a long, happy marriage is to have a
lot of laughs (now that is a Bonehead hobby). He says "Laugh whenever you get
a chance, even if it is about yourselves." Our warmest congratulations to
Leland on his 2005 Oldest Rider Award at the Bonehead Enduro.
The Boneheads would like to thank the American Motorcycle Association
for providing sanctioning for our event, as well as the insurance coverage,
and the Pacific Northwest Museum of Motorcycling for the volunteer support in
the kitchen, clean-up and overall management. See ya on April 30, 2006 for
the next Bonehead Enduro. Call 206.325.7019 with questions, or see PNWMOM.org
for updates.
A Bonehead
