By Jim Falk

The weather was quite favorable for this run, and about a dozen folks showed up for an enjoyable ride through the hinterlands of the Inland Empire. Our chase truck was driven by Cindy Parsons, friend of Bill Harris. She was accompanied by her son Matt and Bill’s son Brian. Luck has it that there were no mishaps or breakdowns, so they enjoyed the ride with us.

We departed Murrieta heading for the wine country, then detouring inland through the hills to Highway 79 near Sage. During this run, we made a slight detour for gas and retrieved one rider who missed a turnoff. We then returned to the southern reaches of Temecula, stopping at the notorious Swing Inn for a hearty lunch break in Old Town Temecula. The return to Murrieta was uneventful, and we capped a ride of about 70 miles overall.

Those in attendance included Dave Cook, Frank Colver, Bill Harris, Ralph Krogh and his son Vernon, who mounted one of my spare steeds to join the ride. The group was completed by Bob and Shorty Stark, Mark Larsen and myself. We conducted a short meeting just before the ride, highlighting the upcoming events and addressing the issue of club dues. Frank Colver addressed his upcoming Route 66 Run for January 31.

This was our first attempt at combining a meeting with a ride, and though there was limited attendance, the concept seems to work quite well. We hope to see a good turnout for the run next month in Silverado Canyon.