Just as Noah predicted . . . a great flood was coming. But what he didn’t predict was that it was coming close to the weekend of the 20th Annual Buzzard Bait Family Fun Ride! So many of you naysayers said the “sky is falling” and stayed home and really missed out.
But if you had followed Noah on Facebook and Twitter, you would have known that his disciples, Mike Reitmayer and Doug Weber, had the power to control the weather. Mike and Doug called for sunshine to stop the drizzle (read flash floods) and prepare the ground (read deep sticky mud) for their ride. Just as they had predicted, the dark skies turned blue, the sun shone brightly, and the desert in Ocotillo Wells became a perfect playground for our off road riders. So on the day of the event no dust, traction plus, and a few mud puddles for the kids to play in. Epic!
This year’s theme was from the Pleistocene Era where many pre-historic sites were uncovered. The presence of “Homoto Man” was discovered. It was discovered that this “Homoto Man” invented one of the earliest motorcycles but unfortunately it never got off the ground because rubber tires and suspension had not been invented yet! But what we found out on the trail was a site that contained the artifacts of his early attempts at building a motorcycle. Additional sites had bones to be dug up, another with ancient beads and petroglyphs where you could add your own art.
All of this added up to the raffle and silent auction at the end of the day. Many prizes were donated including condo stays in Colorado and Mammoth, four tickets to see Chicago, and many others. Everyone dug deep and the eventual winner was the LAFD Widows, Orphans & Disabled Fireman’s Fund.
Bob Steinbacher and Tim Larson came out to represent the Fireman’s Relief Association. They presented a beautiful plaque to Mike & Sonja Reitmayer and Doug & Renee Weber for their 20th year of the Buzzard Bait Family Fun Ride. It is this unselfish devotion to the LAFD, both past and present that makes Doug, Renee, Mike and Sonja outstanding examples of what the LAFD family represents.
See you next year RAIN OR SHINE.
By Bruce Galien