Mystery Tour 2005

At Last, My Bike Gets Washed!

As soon as our bikes were parked, our first order of business was to fill our bellies. Although Capone's had put out a good spread, I seem to have forgotten what was all actually there.

Plenty of food laid out by Capone's Restaurant. However, being early September the wasps were also plentiful. Just ask Dieter who had taken a bite of his burger only to have it bite back leaving him with a nice swollen lip.

I had noticed that there were few bikes in line for getting washed, so I quickly inhaled my burger and pop in order to add my mine to the line as well. My T Sport had not seen soap in over a year and desperately needed some scrubbing. The crusty layer of decaying insect matter plastered all over the front end would not make it an easy job, so I looked forward to seeing how the volunteers with the cleaning buckets would do.

As a bit of a twist to the usual, the local fire department provided the bike wash with water brought in and dispensed by one of their fire trucks. The only catch was that the truck and its crew were on call, therefore if an emergency arose they would be required to respond (and did several times that day). Though the firemen didn't make our bikes any cleaner than a conventional tap and hose would have, it was fun to have them there and they certainly added to the atmosphere.

We've got bikes, water, fire hoses; all we need now is some washers.

So after anteing up my $10 (for charity of course), and my bike watered by the firemen (to soften up the grime), I was surprised to see several buckets of soapy water with no one around to actually to do the washing. A union mandated break and bad timing on my part? I realize that $10 doesn't buy as much as it used to, but this was ridiculous. Oh well I thought, might as well get started on those bugs myself. Happily, two volunteer washers did appear several minutes later, and the bike was finally washed, blow dried and looking like new once more. Still, if the intent is to raise funds for charity by providing a service, surely it would make sense to have the necessary manpower in place first.

My bike finally gets the attention it deserves thanks to an Ottawa firefighter and the Eastern Ontario HOG chapter volunteer with the yellow soap bucket.

John, the director for the Eastern Ontario HOG chapter blows my bike - dry.

Left: The Ottawa Renegades football team cheerleaders move into position. They volunteered to have their photos taken with any biker willing to make a donation for charity. Right: Another happy biker gets his professionally taken picture with the cheerleaders, and the Salvation Army charity gets another $10.

The day went by quickly for us, which could only mean that we had a good time. A pleasant ride, catching up with old friends and acquaintances, having our ticket drawn for a prize - what more could one ask for? In all, the Mystery Tour was a success for us, and as a charity event, a financial success for the chapter. Yet I still mourn the loss of the toy parade. There are many motorcycle events on any given weekend to choose from in the Ottawa Valley , but few have brought together Ottawa 's bikers like the toy parade had. Perhaps one day it will return.

After leaving Capone's, I rushed over to Ottawa HD to get a snap of our event poster before it was taken down. I made it there just as it was being moved and asked Brenda (parts counter) and Keith (sales) to pose with it. Behind them is Ged, another Ottawa HD employee who has been helping Gail and Andrew quite a bit over the last year with their Buell Blast parts and accessories. Thanks guys.

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